Category: World

A NEW video taken by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who killed driver Renee Good shows the clearest view yet of the dramatic clash seconds before he opened fire.

The clip shows agent Jonathan Ross circling the car while being confronted by Good and her wife, who can be heard screaming “drive baby,” seconds before the fatal encounter.

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BREAKING: Alpha News has obtained cellphone footage showing perspective of federal agent at center of ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/p2wks0zew0

— Alpha News (@AlphaNews) January 9, 2026

The video, released by Alpha News, was taken on a cellphone and captures the “perspective of the federal agent at the center of the ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis,” the outlet reported.

The clip shows Good stopped in her Maroon Honda SUV on Wednesday morning as she’s being approached by the agents.

The mom of three appears to smile and says, “That’s fine dude. I’m not mad,” as he walks just inches away from her open driver’s side window.

Meanwhile, Good’s wife, Rebecca Good, 40, stood feet away, and could be heard provoking the agent and yelling at him to “show his face.”

“You want to come at us? I saw go get yourself some lunch big boy,” Rebecca could be heard saying as she films the encounter.

“Go ahead,” she continued while the agent remained silent.

As seen in other videos from the scene, two more officers approach the Honda and scream for Good to get out of the car.

As they do, Rebecca can be seen trying to open the front passenger side door, which is locked, before shouting at Good, “Drive, baby, drive, drive.”

Good can be seen backing up and turning her steering wheel to the right before accelerating forward.

The moment she does, three gunshots can be heard along what appears to be a crunching sound.

As the car speeds down the street, a man’s voice is heard saying “f**king b***h” before the out-of-control Honda rams into a parked car with the engine still revving.

In other videos taken at the scene, Ross is seen walking alone towards the crash after the shooting.

The newly released clip was also shared after CCTV showed that Good apparently had been blocking the road with her car for four minutes, CNN first reported.

‘DOMESTIC TERRORIST’ FEARS

Soon after the video was published, Vice President JD Vance shared it on X, and said it was proof that Good was an aggressor who put the lives of ICE agents at risk.

He and other federal officials have deemed Good a “domestic terrorist” for striking Ross with her car. They’ve argued that he shot her in self-defense.

Meanwhile, local officials have questioned this reasoning, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey boldly calling it “bulls**t.”

Good’s wife broke her silence before the latest video was released, and described the victim as a Christian who exuded “pure love” and “pure sunshine.”

“On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors,” she wrote, appearing to reference an anti-ICE protest that had been taking place before the shooting.

“We had whistles. They had guns.”

A GoFundMe started to amass funds for Rebecca and Good’s children has amassed $1.5 million as of Friday.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15758924/ice-agent-shot-renee-good-tense-standoff/

 

THE Golden Globes are set to bring the drama this year.

This year’s ceremony, which will happen on Sunday, January 11th, promises big names and some seating surprises.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said his risky US gamble on Argentina’s currency has paid off.

Bessent said American financial support had been repaid and the US no longer held any Argentine pesos in its exchange stabilisation fund.

The US had purchased the then-plunging currency last year in an effort to stave off further turmoil and boost the party of President Javier Milei, a key ally of President Donald Trump, in the run-up to national midterm elections.

The move sparked criticism from Democrats, who accused Bessent of risking taxpayer money on a country with a long history of financial turmoil.

In the end, Bessent said the manoeuvre had been a success.

“Stabilising a strong American ally – and making tens of millions in profit for Americans – is an America First homerun deal,” he wrote in an announcement on social media.

When the US moved to intervene in September, people were dumping the peso, mindful of the shocks they had experienced after previous elections and rattled by signs that Milei’s party might experience an upset in the mid-terms.

Bessent promised to do “what was needed” to stave off further drops in September. He announced a month later that the US had purchased pesos and agreed to extend a swap line to Argentina, allowing the country to exchange pesos for dollars.

The move helped to halt the falls in the currency, which saw further gains after Milei’s party clinched a landslide victory in the mid-term elections, though it has drifted lower more recently.

Argentina’s central bank said it settled the swap line in December. It ultimately traded just $2.5bn in pesos for dollars of a possible $20bn, according to a government report on deal.

The report said the US had also separately provided $872m in support involving reserves held at the IMF.

The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on that transaction.

“Getting your money back is a straight forward definition of a success,” said Brad Setser, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, even if he said tens of millions in profit was “small change” given the sums involved.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyngv1keq7o

President Donald Trump says the US needs to “own” Greenland to prevent Russia and China from doing so.

“Countries have to have ownership and you defend ownership, you don’t defend leases. And we’ll have to defend Greenland,” Trump told reporters on Friday, in response to a question from the BBC.

We will do it “the easy way” or “the hard way”, he added. The White House said recently the administration is considering buying the semi-autonomous territory of fellow Nato member Denmark, but it would not rule out the option of annexing it by force.

Denmark and Greenland say the territory is not for sale. Denmark has said military action would spell the end of the trans-Atlantic defence alliance.

Despite being the most sparsely populated territory, Greenland’s location between North America and the Arctic makes it well placed for early warning systems in the event of missile attacks, and for monitoring vessels in the region.

The US president has repeatedly said that Greenland is vital to US national security, claiming without evidence that it was “covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place”.

The US already has more than 100 military personnel permanently stationed at its Pituffik base in Greenland’s north-western tip – a facility that has been operated by the US since World War Two.

Under existing agreements with Denmark, the US has the power to bring as many troops as it wants to Greenland.

But speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump said a lease agreement was not good enough.

“Countries can’t make nine-year deals or even 100-year deals,” he said, adding that they had to have ownership.

“I love the people of China. I love the people of Russia,” Trump said. “But I don’t want them as a neighbour in Greenland, not going to happen.”

“And by the way Nato’s got to understand that,” the US president added.

Denmark’s Nato allies – major European countries as well as Canada – have rallied to its support this week with statements reaffirming that “only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations”.

Stressing they were as keen as the US on Arctic security, they have said this must be achieved by allies, including the US, “collectively”.

They also called for “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders”.

Concerns over the future of the territory resurfaced after Trump’s use of military force against Venezuela on Saturday to seize its president, Nicolás Maduro.

Trump previously made an offer to buy the island in 2019, during his first presidential term, only to be told it was not for sale.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is to hold talks with Denmark next week.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78vj5n7jg3o

With debt at record highs and new loans approved, Uganda faces growing pressure. Economists warn the strategy may backfire on future growth.

Uganda’s national debt stands at $32.3 billion (€27.5 billion), with the government recently approving a loan of 9 trillion Ugandan shillings ($2.5 billion, €2.1 billion), fueling concern over the country’s spiraling finances.

For many Ugandans, the direct impact of this borrowing is invisible because the promised benefits never seem to materialize.

But for economist Steven Alor, the public is paying a heavy price for the government’s fiscal indiscipline.

He said the potential consequences include unbuilt roads, neglected health facilities and unfinished or delayed infrastructure projects.

“The government is always saying the debt-to-GDP is sustainable. It is just about 51% of the of the GDP, which is really not that sustainable,” said Alor. “Borrowing is not bad if the money is put into good use. But we’re seeing time and time again, money has not been put into good use.”

Government makes effort to trim debt

The Ugandan government has publicly attempted to reduce domestic debt. In December, Reuters news agency reported Ugandan plans to cut domestic debt issuance by 21.1% in the financial year starting in July.

The 9 trillion shillings will be issued in the 2026-2027 financial year, down from 11.4 trillion shillings worth of debt issued in 2025-2026.

According to the Reuters news agency, the ministry said this was to “avoid crowding out of the private sector, curb the rising debt-to-GDP ratio, and address the growing burden of interest payments relative to revenues.”

Alor said there have been examples where government borrowing has been effective, such as during the COVID pandemic.

“A lot of money was generated from the public. But the public can only give you that if they know the money is not going to go into someone’s pocket,” he said. “You cannot borrow forever.”

Jacob Nuwa, a Kampala resident, said Ugandans know money has been lost “under the guise of money borrowed to improve service delivery.”

“If you go and look at the individuals who are supposed to do this work, their bank balances are fattening, their assets are increasing, and somehow they’re living large,” he told DW.

Massive debt servicing grows burden on public

Ramadhan Mudde, a retired economics lecturer from Kampala International University, told DW that while borrowing in itself was not bad, “selfish interests” were causing financial problems for the future.

“When you look at these MPs, they will always approve money to be borrowed. Why? Because they know they are beneficiaries in one way or the other,” said Mudde.

“If there are no reforms, Parliament will keep on approving, and government will keep on abusing it,” Mudde added.

Servicing Uganda’s public debt could eat almost a third of all domestic revenues in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, according to the Ugandan Finance Ministry.

Debt is expensive, too — domestic borrowing, for instance, comes with 15%-17% interest rates. The ministry acknowledged public debt rose to 51% in June 2025, as a percentage of gross domestic product.

Lawrence Kooko, a Kampala-based business reporter, told DW: “We are now having a debt of more than 100 trillion shillings out there in borrowing. So where have they put the money? We cannot go on borrowing more money that we can’t account for.”

Kooko added that while the public was not fully benefiting from government borrowing, it would be “the local person who pays the tax, who in the end term pays back these loans to these big people, to these big borrowers.”

Projected crude oil production drives optimism

While Uganda’s total public debt stood at $32.3 billion as of June, up 26.2% from the same period 12 months earlier, the state believes oil-related growth will “generate substantial revenue and stimulate productivity.”

The state plans to start commercial crude oil production this year. As a result, economic growth is projected to reach 10.4% in 2026-2027.

However, economist Steven Alor is not convinced this will be the silver bullet to Uganda’s debt problems.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ugandas-debt-crisis-deepens-ahead-of-elections/a-75399953

 

Iranian forces “behaved with savage brutality” when they stormed a hospital in Ilam, a nurse told DW. Mass protests continue to grow.

Shirin (name changed), a nurse at the Imam Khomeini Hospital in the western Iranian province of Ilam, recently found herself at the center of a tragedy far beyond anything she had seen in her work.

At the end of last week, she took note of reports on social media of a brutal clampdown on anti-government protesters in Malekshahi county, but she never imagined that she would find herself in the middle of it.

A few hours later, the first group of wounded people from Malekshahi — those who could not be treated at home — were rushed to the hospital where Shirin works.

“More than 40 injured people, covered in blood, were brought to us,” the 38-year-old said. “Most had been shot in the upper body: neck, chest, shoulders. Two of them died on the way here. Two young men.”

Video footage of security forces opening fire on the protesters quickly went viral.

Hospital becomes scene of violent raid

Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam is the largest health facility in this Kurdish-majority province in western Iran.

Shirin said the hospital was completely unprepared for such a surge in patients. “We had to treat them in the women’s ward and even the pediatric ward. It was overwhelming, and everyone was on edge.”

As Shirin and her colleagues fought to save lives, families of the wounded and other residents began gathering outside the building. “Security forces, meanwhile, were closing in,” she said.

On January 4, the area outside Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam turned into a scene of unrestrained violence by Iranian security forces, according to Shirin.

“We knew the security agents were coming to arrest the wounded or record their identities,” Shirin said. “People gathered at the entrance to stop them.” She added: “At the same time, we were desperately short of blood, so calls for donors went out on social media. But the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] and special units prevented donors from reaching us. Several citizens were even detained.”

The IRGC, one of the most powerful organizations in Iran, is a branch of the armed forces that answers directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It was created after the 1979 revolution with the mission of defending the regime.

‘IRGC forces beat patients, the wounded, staff and families with batons’

The siege of the Imam Khomeini Hospital lasted over 24 hours and ended on Monday with a fierce clampdown by security forces.

“The agents used shotguns, tear gas and fire inside the building,” Shirin said. “They smashed the glass doors at the entrance and stormed the wards.”

“IRGC forces beat patients, the wounded, staff and families with batons,” Shirin said. “They fired tear gas canisters at the building. Many patients and civilians got seriously injured. Even some children in the pediatric ward suffered severe breathing problems.”

“They behaved with savage brutality,” Shirin said. “They hurled sexual and ethnic slurs, degrading everyone. People were screaming. The scene was more like a war movie than a hospital.”

A witness, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, told DW that “within minutes, 11 of the wounded were taken away by the IRGC and moved to an unknown location. Five others remain in intensive care, shackled to their beds. Some were interrogated on site, while those with less serious injuries managed to escape through a back exit.”

An official from Ilam governor’s office, who requested anonymity, told DW’s Farsi service that some of the injured had been transferred to an IRGC facility in the Sheshdar area near Ilam.

Cost of living

The mass protests were triggered by anger over the rising cost of living in Iran, which is home to more than 90 million people.

The protests began on December 28 with a shutdown by merchants in the capital, Tehran. The protests have since spread to other areas, especially the western part of the country, which is home to Kurdish and Lor minority groups.

It is the largest protest movement in Iran since the 2022-2023 nationwide rallies sparked by the in-custody killing of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by “morality police” for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly.

A Malekshahi resident who took part in the protests told DW that the demonstrations began peacefully.

“Everything stayed calm until we reached the Basij building,” she said. “Some protesters moved closer to the building, and then — incredibly — the agents inside opened blind, automatic fire on us.”

Basij is a volunteer paramilitary faction controlled by the IRGC.

“There were so many wounded. No one was prepared for that. We didn’t know how to help them. We only knew we had to get them to the hospital as quickly as possible,” said the resident, who asked not to be identified.

Violence draws sharp condemnation

Rights groups have slammed Iranian authorities for targeting hospitals.

“Hospitals are civilian facilities. Attacking them violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and other international covenants. These acts can be classified as crimes against humanity or war crimes, and international courts have jurisdiction to prosecute them,” said Adnan Hassanpour, a member of the Kurdistan Human Rights Network who closely follows events in Iran’s Kurdish regions.

Amnesty International condemned the attack as a “flagrant violation of international law.”

The US State Department also sharply criticized the Iranian authorities’ actions in Ilam, describing them on its Farsi-language X account as an “obvious crime against humanity,” “barbaric,” and “savage.”

Iranian officials initially claimed that their entry into the hospital was necessary “to restore security,” alleging that the presence of families and protesters had disrupted treatment — a claim that one medical staff member categorically denied when speaking with DW.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/hospital-attack-highlights-brutality-of-iran-clampdown/a-75454581

Many of the organizations are UN-affiliated agencies and panels focused on climate, labor, migration and social policy. The US State Department said the agencies work on agendas contrary to US interests.

President Donald Trump has ordered the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations, including major UN agencies, hastening Washington’s retreat from multilateral cooperation.

Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday directing US departments to end participation in and funding for 31 United Nations entities and 35 non-UN organizations “as soon as possible,” according to a White House release.

These organizations span climate change, conservation, counterterrorism and human rights, among other fields.

Which prominent international bodies has the US withdrawn from?

Among the 31 UN-affiliated bodies that Trump ordered to withdraw from are:

• The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): The main UN body for climate negotiations
• UN Women: The main UN body on gender equality
• The Office of the Special Representative of the secretary-general for Children in Armed Conflict
• The Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
• UN Population Fund (UNFPA): Major UN agency on population, reproductive health, and demographics
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat)
• The Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

Trump also ordered the withdrawal from 35 other international bodies, including:

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): The world’s leading authority on climate science, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007

• The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
• The International Solar Alliance (ISA)
• The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe
• The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP)
• The Global Counterterrorism Forum
• The Colombo Plan Council: Focused on technical cooperation across Asia-Pacific
• The Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU): A body intended to aid the non-proliferation of nuclear and biological weapons in several former Soviet states

Why is the US withdrawing?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that some of the institutions were working in agendas contrary to the interests of the United States.

Many of the organizations are UN-affiliated agencies and panels focused on climate, labor, migration and social policy areas the administration has labelled “woke.”

The move follows Trump’s earlier decisions to quit the Paris climate accord, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN’s cultural organization UNESCO, and to cut funding for UN agencies, including the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA.

Last year, the US slashed foreign assistance through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), forcing several UN bodies to scale back operations primarily impacting developing countries and global public health.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/trump-withdraws-us-from-66-international-organizations/a-75427108

Beijing is “deeply shocked” by the Trump administration’s attack on Venezuela, one of China’s key partners in Latin America. At the same time, China could find ways to use the kidnapping of Maduro for its own agenda.

Hours after the US’s controversial seizure of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro this weekend, China’s Foreign Ministry stated Beijing was “deeply shocked” by the “blatant use of force against a sovereign state.”

The Asian nation also appealed to Latin American and Caribbean countries, calling them “good friends and good partners” and assuring that Beijing was willing to work with them and “navigate the changing international landscape with solidarity and coordination.”

While criticizing the United States for attacking Venezuela, Chinese diplomats have also sought to portray their own country as a responsible global power.

Those remarks are likely to resonate strongly across Latin America. With US President Donald Trump reviving the Monroe Doctrine — a foreign policy stance first articulated over 200 years ago about Washington’s supremacy in the Western Hemisphere — the kidnapping of Maduro is seen as a grim warning and a demonstration of US power in the region.

William Yang, a senior Northeast Asia analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, said Beijing is likely to tap into such concerns to challenge US international standing and to “further deepen its influence among countries across the Global South.”

China will also “closely monitor how the US handles the situation in Venezuela in the coming weeks and months,” Yang added.

Broken ties with Caracas

Trump’s swift seizure of Maduro, the leader of a key Chinese ally in Latin America, could significantly impact the world’s second-largest economy.

Under Maduro, China formed an “all‑weather strategic partnership” with Venezuela and became the country’s largest oil buyer after the US sanctions escalated in 2019.

China has also sold weapons to Venezuela — with deliveries worth $615 million (€526 million) just between 2009 and 2019, according to a US estimate. Perhaps most significantly for China, its officials have provided billions in credit to Venezuela, and Caracas is nowhere near paying off its debt.

US-based think tank AidData puts the total Chinese lending to Venezuela at $105.5 billion, which includes $17 billion to $19 billion in outstanding principal from China Development Bank’s oil-for-loans program.

Hours before his capture on Saturday, Maduro welcomed a Chinese delegation in what he described as a “pleasant meeting” to reaffirm their political and economic partnership.

But US media has since reported that the Trump administration is insisting that the interim government in Venezuela must sever economic ties with China, Russia, Iran and Cuba. On social media, Trump has stated that Venezuela would deliver between 30 million and 50 million barrels of its oil to the US.

China decried the move as a violation of international law.

“The United States’ brazen use of force against Venezuela and its demand for ‘America First’ when Venezuela disposes of its own oil resources are typical acts of bullying,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press conference.

China’s outrage remains symbolic

However, analysts cautioned that China’s rhetoric should be taken with a grain of salt.

“China didn’t give a hoot about international law,” said Elizabeth Freund Larus, adjunct senior fellow at the Pacific Forum, pointing to China’s military assertiveness in the South China Sea and its reluctance to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We can translate China’s warning to Washington… as ‘Beijing needs its money back!’ and ‘We demand that the US continue Venezuelan oil flows to China!'” Larus added.

Also, despite Beijing’s strong language, China has yet to take any action in retaliation for the US attack on Venezuela.

“Beijing is unlikely to go beyond symbolic expressions of disapproval,” said Ryan Hass, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Hass also said he did not expect the incident would significantly alter the trajectory of US-China relations.

“America’s actions in Venezuela will only play into the US-China relationship if they cause the United States to get distracted and bogged down in a quagmire in Venezuela,” he said.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/maduros-downfall-deals-china-new-cards-in-us-rivalry/a-75422605

Germany lacks thousands of state prosecutors to effectively fight organized crime, the German Association of Judges has warned. But others say the judicial system’s problems run much deeper than that.

White collar criminals and mafia organizations have it too easy in Germany, the German Association of Judges (DRB) has said, because there aren’t enough prosecutors and judges to keep up with the case files.

“State governments are missing out on billions of euros because they are too fixated on the personnel costs of law enforcement,” DRB Director Sven Rebehn told the Funke Media Group newspapers in late December. “Every additional euro spent on hiring more investigators to better combat financial and economic crime would ultimately flow back into the state coffers many times over.”

Rebehn said Germany was 2,000 state prosecutors short, and that there were around 1 million open cases still waiting to be investigated, effectively giving mafia organizations and financial embezzlers an easy time.

Lack of training, lack of education

The notion that Germany is a financial crime “paradise” has been raised plenty of times, with observers noting that it has taken authorities a long time to wake up to the financial machinations of organized crime groups, while high-profile fraud cases like Wirecard and Cum-Ex have cost the state billions.

But Jacob Wende, a lawyer who specializes in financial law and CEO of Regpit, a financial crime protection company, said the problem was not just a lack of prosecutors — it was a lack of training across the board.

“We’re certainly a long way behind our possibilities,” Wende told DW. “What we need is more and better-trained people in all areas: Whether it’s among the state prosecutors, whether it’s in the courts, whether it’s in the regulating authorities.”

This is particularly problematic because these crimes are, as Wende put it, “moving targets.”

“It’s not like organized criminals use just one ploy — they keep adapting, they keep looking where the gaps are, and they will always be looking for ways to exploit those gaps,” he said.

Who is in charge?

The other problem is the fragmentation of law enforcement in Germany. A bewildering array of authorities across the country’s 16 states deal with different kinds of financial crime in different regions.

Kilian Wegner, professor of sustainable economic law at Halle University, said in areas like gambling and precious metal trade there are over 300 regulatory authorities across the country, and many of them are understaffed. “It’s very difficult to tell whether in one of those authorities there’s a piece of information that would be relevant for a money-laundering investigation,” Wegner told DW. “They all do their own thing, so there’s a huge loss of information.”

One woman who saw these problems up close was Anne Brorhilker, who, during her two decades as senior state prosecutor in Cologne, became famous for investigating the Cum-Ex fraud scheme — through which banks and stock traders stole billions of euros from treasuries across Europe. Germany alone is thought to have lost around €30 billion ($35 billion).

The main problem Brorhilker saw was not too few prosecutors per se — it’s that there are too few who actually do the prosecuting. “We have a lot of people who direct and administer, and not many who do the actual work,” she told DW. “It’s true that we don’t have enough prosecutors who investigate and bring the cases to court, but we could just reorganize the personnel.”

She also thinks that the structure of the judicial system encourages prosecutors to pursue easy cases that have a high success rate, like shoplifting, but that have little impact on society at large. “The criminals who are particularly professional and cause us as a society the most damage, they get away with it,” she said.

In 2024, Brorhilker left the judiciary altogether to become one of the heads of the NGO Finanzwende, which seeks to change how the state fights financial crime and counter the power of financial lobbyists.

Too many cooks, too little communication

Lack of communication between agencies was a source of frustration for Brorhilker. “Let’s say a man is caught at an airport with a lot of money in a bag,” she said. “The customs officials on the ground look at it, and they might make a note of it for their superiors — but they usually don’t pass on that information to the tax office or even to the police.”

But while law enforcement agencies are all toiling separately, organized crimes, tax crimes and financial crimes are being perpetrated at the same time by the same people, often as part of the same criminal operation. While the police are trying to catch drug dealers, for example, the drug money is already being slipped past the tax authorities, and before those investigators have figured out what has happened, the money is already being laundered — so it is investigated by a completely different office.

Other countries organize this better — in Italy, for example, tax crime, customs crime and financial crime can all be dealt with by one authority.

Bad habits, set in stone

Quantifying the extent of the damage caused by financial crime remains mainly guesswork. The DRB’s Rebehn estimated the amount of money being laundered in Germany at around €100 billion per year — but that figure, often cited in the German media, is based on a 2016 study from Halle University that extrapolated a number from known cases. The real amount has never been empirically researched.

Governments, meanwhile, routinely declare that they are determined to fight the problem. The coalition government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced last July that it would pay the states €240 million to hire 2,000 extra judges and prosecutors. But attempts at wholesale reform to streamline the system have proved torturous, to the point of futility.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/why-germany-struggles-to-fight-financial-crime/a-75423810

THE EXPLOSIVE real reason Ashley Tisdale stopped speaking to ex-BFF Vanessa Hudgens has come to light after decades of friendship, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.

The pair formed a “sisterhood” as the stars of the Disney Channel sensation, High School Musical, but quietly parted ways in recent years – leaving fans begging to know why.

As Ashley, 40, is caught in the middle of a media frenzy for exposing the “toxic” mom group she used to be friends with, more is coming out about her other relationships.

A source revealed that Ashley and Vanessa’s friendship slowly unraveled as both women “grew into very different adults” – but the final straw was Vanessa’s breakup with Austin Butler.

“Vanessa and Ashley were already drifting apart just due to becoming two different adults from the young girls they were when they became friends.

“But their friendship officially ended when Austin [Butler] broke up with Vanessa,” a source alleged to The U.S. Sun.

“Ashley and Austin are best friends too and Vanessa felt Ashley was much more supportive of Austin than she was of her.

“She didn’t feel supported during that breakup and felt Ashley focused on herself, her family, and her problems when Vanessa was in a time of need.

“Eventually, it was healthier for them to no longer have a close friendship, so there was never a question of Ashley being invited to her wedding.

“By that time, they were done. Ashley tries to seem like a girl’s girl, but she doesn’t back that up when she’s needed by her closest friends.”

Austin, 34, and Ashley met as teenagers around 2009 when they filmed the movie, Aliens in the Attic, together.

Since then, they have maintained a friendship so close that it led to accusations that Ashley took his side over Vanessa’s before their early 2020 breakup.

Vanessa and Ashley appeared inseparable during the ‘00s after the 2006 release of High School Musical catapulted both of them to international stardom.

At the time, Vanessa was famously dating co-star Zac Efron, who also used to be a close friend of Ashley’s.

The pair often spent time with one another and frequently traveled together.

Vanessa was even a bridesmaid at Ashley’s wedding to musician Christopher French back in 2014.

However, Ashley was shockingly absent from Vanessa’s 2023 wedding to MLB star Cole Tucker.

Vanessa invited her other High School Musical co-stars, including Lucas Grabeel and Monique Coleman, to the nuptials – making Ashley’s absence all the more striking.

Ashley further fueled feud rumors during a 2024 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, where she was asked about her friendship with Vanessa.

“I haven’t seen her in a long time. Obviously, she’s working, I’m working. I have a daughter. So it’s like, you know, she has a full-time job,” she confessed.

Ashley shares two children with her husband, Christopher: daughters Jupiter Iris, 4, and one-year-old, Emerson Clover.

Vanessa and her athlete husband have two kids of their own, born in July 2024 and November 2025.

Vanessa and Cole keep their personal life private, so not much else is publicly known about their children.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15753387/ashley-tisdale-vanessa-hudgens-feud-friendship-mom-group/

DONALD Trump is sensationally considering sending $100,000 lump sums to Greenlanders in order to curry favour, a report claims.

US officials have reportedly discussed giving residents eye-watering payments of between $10,000 (£7,443) and $100,000 (£74,437).

It is just one of the solutions being mulled over by Washington who are “actively” discussing a potential offer to buy the semi-autonomous Danish territory, according to Reuters.

Trump may look to appease the 57,000 Greenlanders with a massive $5.7billion payout after warning yesterday that he would deploy military action to annex the territory.

Both Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly stressed the island is not for sale and any attack would spell the end of Nato.

But the president has doubled down on his ambitions by telling The New York Times that “ownership is very important” and that there “may be a choice” when it comes to either acquiring the landmass or preserving his European alliances.

He added that ownership is “psychologically needed for success”.

US Vice President JD Vance has echoed Trump’s words with scathing attacks on Europe’s handling of “critical” Greenland as its locals reject both Danish and US rule.

Vance told Fox News that Europe and Denmark have “not done a good job” in securing the area, claiming they underinvested in defences and failed to engage with Trump on the matter.

The Vice President issued a fresh warning to European leaders to “take the President of the United States seriously.”

Vance added that the Arctic territory was vital for the defence of the US and the world against possible Chinese or Russian missile attacks.

He said: “People do not realise that the entire missile defence infrastructure is partially dependent on Greenland.

“If God forbid the Russians and the Chinese – not saying they’re going to – but if, God forbid, somebody launched a nuclear missile into our continent, they launched a nuclear missile at Europe, Greenland is a critical part of that missile defence.

“So you ask yourself, ‘have the Europeans, have the Danes done a proper job of securing Greenland and of making sure it can continue to serve as an anchor for world security and missile defence?’ And the answer is obviously they haven’t.”

He later stressed: “We’re asking our European friends to take the security of that landmass more seriously, because if they’re not, the United States is going to have to do something about it.”

Vance’s remarks come after an astonishing week when Trump captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and threatened military intervention across the Western Hemisphere.

Many Greenlanders are now fearful of what is to come, but the territory’s main opposition party, Naleraq, has described the situation as a “window of opportunity”.

Juno Berthelsen, MP and foreign policy spokesman for Naleraq, dismissed Trump’s threats of using military force as “unrealistic”.

But he conceded America’s renewed push to secure the resource-rich territory could offer “concrete steps to better Greenlandic people’s lives.”

He said: “We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danish. We want to be Greenlanders.”

The US already has more than 100 military personnel permanently stationed at its Pituffik base in Greenland’s north-western tip.

The facility has been operated by the US since World War Two.

Under existing agreements with Denmark, the US has the power to bring as many troops as it wants to Greenland.

Experts have said it would be alarmingly simple for the US to make a grab for the strategically important Arctic island.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15752342/jd-vance-attacks-europe-greenland-danish-rule/

 

Venezuela’s release of detainees Thursday briefly brought relief and guarded optimism to a country consumed by uncertainty.

But it was another, less covered news event far afield that some Venezuelan advocates said offered their only real shot at justice as long as the government of former President Nicolás Maduro remained intact.

A federal court in Argentina Thursday ordered the judiciary to press on with investigations into alleged crimes against humanity committed by members of Venezuela’s national guard, turning down an appeal by a former officer who argued that Argentina had no jurisdiction to go after Venezuelan officials.

Judges demanded that Argentina pursue the case under the doctrine of universal jurisdiction, whereby human rights violators of any nationality can be charged in any country, no matter where the crimes were committed, according to a copy of the ruling obtained by The Associated Press.

Lawyers said the timing of the court decision sent a message.

After attacking Venezuela and seizing its president to stand trial in the U.S., the Trump administration surprised Venezuelans and the international community by endorsing Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s handpicked deputy who oversaw the feared intelligence service, to lead the transition.

“We cannot lose our focus at this moment,” said Ignacio Jovtis, director for Latin America at InterJust, an organization seeking accountability for international crimes and representing three of the Venezuelan plaintiffs. “Victims in Venezuela are still waiting for justice.”

Whatever relief Venezuelans felt seeing Maduro in handcuffs Saturday “has nothing to do with the process of bringing truth and reparation to victims and trying perpetrators for crimes against humanity,” he added.

From cruel dictatorship to judicial success story

It’s no coincidence that this investigation is progressing in Argentina, experts say, a country that has learned a thing or two about prosecuting a strongman from its groundbreaking efforts bringing to justice the brutal military dictatorship that oversaw the killing or disappearance of as many as 30,000 Argentines from 1976 to 1983.

Over 1,200 ex-army officers have been tried and sentenced in Argentina, many to life in prison, and hundreds more await trial.

As one of just a handful of countries whose law permits the investigation of crimes-against-humanity cases beyond its borders, Argentina has increasingly taken center stage in lawsuits ranging from the torture of dissidents under Franco’s dictatorship in Spain to atrocities committed by the military against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

Venezuelans take hopes for accountability to Argentina

Frustrated by the impunity in their home country and the limits of the laboriously slow International Criminal Court, Venezuelans have taken their quests for justice to Argentina.

Thursday’s criminal complaint accuses 14 Venezuelan National Guard officers of human rights abuses dating to 2014, when security forces under Maduro aggressively stamped out anti-government protests, arresting, torturing and killing suspected dissidents.

Argentina began investigating the allegations in 2023. A catalogue of torture was spelt out in court as former detainees and families of protesters killed in the crackdown flew to Buenos Aires to give testimony.

Last year, Justo José Noguera Pietri — a key defendant and former commander of Venezuela’s national guard — asked the Argentine judiciary to dismiss the case and void the outstanding arrest warrant against him. A federal appeals court denied his requests Thursday, citing the “extreme gravity” of the alleged crimes.

“For us, this is not a symbolic investigation,” Jovtis said. “We want the perpetrators to go before an Argentine judge and be tried here.”

A separate Venezuelan case filed recently in Argentina targets ousted President Maduro, hard-line Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and other top officials still in power. An Argentine judge asked for the extradition of the defendants this week.

Democracy deferred

Argentine President Javier Milei, a right-wing ideologue and President Donald Trump’s most loyal Latin American ally, joyously celebrated the capture of the leader he long lambasted as the ultimate political evil.

A staple on the global conservative speaking circuit, Milei has long been friendly with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado and last October attended the ceremony in Norway that awarded her the Nobel Peace Prize.

As U.S. Special Forces whisked Maduro out of Venezuela, Milei issued a triumphant statement calling for “everything to be set right and for the true president to take office, Edmundo González Urrutia ” — the candidate widely considered the legitimate winner of the country’s turbulent 2024 election.

But as Trump froze out Machado and elevated Rodríguez, Milei changed his tune.

All mentions of democracy were scrubbed from Argentina’s official statements on Venezuela. In their Tuesday telephone call about the situation, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Argentine counterpart spoke only about “cooperation to confront narcoterrorism.”

Maduro’s gone, but repression remains

On the streets of Caracas, the initial jolt of euphoria after Maduro’s capture last Saturday has rapidly worn off, turning into a more familiar, nagging dread. Pro-government paramilitary groups known as “colectivos” have been deployed across Caracas.

“Right now in Venezuela, everybody’s erasing their phones because ‘colectivos’ are checking to see if you’ve been tweeting or looking at anything anti-government,” said Ricardo Hausmann, a professor of the practice of international political economy at the Harvard Kennedy School. “There is too much talk about oil and money, but for Venezuelans to do anything, they need rights.”

Trump, preoccupied with the prospect of extracting Venezuela’s oil riches, had only praise for Rodríguez’s government in an interview with Fox News late Thursday.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/argentina-venezuela-trump-maduro-milei-5121d5506734904d15c5014d743dea32

Iran’s government cut off the country from the internet and international telephone calls Thursday night as a nighttime demonstration called by the country’s exiled crown prince drew a mass of protesters to shout from their windows and storm the streets.

The protest that went on into Friday morning 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. 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 Iran’s ailing economy.

The demonstrations that have popped up in cities and rural towns across Iran continued Thursday. More markets and bazaars shut down in support of the protesters. So far, violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 42 people while more than 2,270 others have been detained, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

The growth of the protests increases the pressure on Iran’s civilian government and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 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.

Iranian state television’s 24-hour news channel did not acknowledge the internet outage that cut the nation over 85 million people off from the world, highlighting instead food subsidies in their 7 a.m. Friday broadcast.

Meanwhile, the protests themselves have remained broadly leaderless. It remains unclear how Pahlavi’s call will affect the demonstrations moving forward.

“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 labor leader Lech Wałęsa 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 country’s potential transformational leaders.”

Thursday’s demonstration rallies at home and in street

Pahlavi had called for demonstrations at 8 p.m. local (1630 GMT) on Thursday and Friday. When the clock struck, neighborhoods 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 U.S. 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.”

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.

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 not acknowledged the scale of the overall protests, which raged across many locations Thursday even before the 8 p.m. demonstration. However, there has been reporting regarding security officials being hurt or killed.

The judiciary’s Mizan news agency report a police colonel suffered fatal stab wounds in a town outside of Tehran, while the semiofficial Fars news agency said gunmen killed two security force members and wounded 30 others in a shooting in the city of Lordegan in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.

A deputy governor in Iran’s Khorasan Razavi province told Iranian state television that an attack at a police station killed five people Wednesday night in Chenaran, some 700 kilometers (430 miles) northeast of Tehran. Late Thursday, the Revolutionary Guard said two members of its forces were killed in Kermanshah.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-us-israel-war-nuclear-economy-ebddd998fbe7903e70ca62127250ebcb

 

Renee Nicole Good, the mom who was killed by a federal agent after veering her car toward him, was an anti-ICE “warrior” and was part of a group of activists who worked to “document and resist” the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota, The Post can reveal.

Good, who moved to the city last year, linked up with the anti-ICE activists through her 6-year-old son’s woke charter school, which boasts that it puts “social justice first” and prioritizes “involving kids in political and social activism,” multiple local sources said.

“She was a warrior. She died doing what was right,” a mother named Leesa, whose child attends the same school, told The Post at a growing vigil where Good was killed Wednesday.

“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.”

Good and her wife Rebecca, 40, were raising the boy together in the mostly working-class, activist-heavy neighborhood of south Minneapolis, which features tree-lined streets and a large number of homes with windows decked out in LGBTQ+ flags or signs depicting George Floyd.

Just as many others did in the lefty enclave, Good sent her son to Southside Family Charter School, a K-5 academy opened in 1972 which has from its inception been “unabashedly dedicated to social justice education,” according to co-founder Susie Oppenheim.

It was through her involvement in the school community that Good became involved in “ICE Watch” — a loose coalition of activists dedicated to disrupting ICE raids in the sanctuary city.

“From my understanding, she was involved in social justice … we are a tight-knit community and a lot of parents are [activists],” former Southside gym teacher Rashad Rich, who resigned from the school last month, told The Post.

He said current event topics like the killing of George Floyd were regular parts of the curriculum, and that last month students took a field trip where they learned about “aboriginal issues” — a reference to the indigenous people of far-away Australia.

Similar coalitions to ICE Watch have cropped up all over the country — with activists using phone apps, whistles and car horns to warn neighborhoods when ICE shows up.

ICE Watch and adjacent groups can also turn confrontational — with numerous instances of activists ramming agents with their cars in the past.

“[Renee Good] was trained against these ICE agents — what to do, what not to do, it’s a very thorough training,” Leesa said.

“To listen to commands, to know your rights, to whistle when you see an ICE agent,” she added.

The group started out as a very loose confederation of anti-ICE activists, but has recently aligned itself with more radical organizations including Twin Cities Ungovernables.

ICE Watch recently shared an Instagram post of the group’s which encouraged agitators to bring items that would help them barricade the streets around where the shooting took place, even urging people to bring things to burn, such as dried-up Christmas trees.

This call for aggressive and even violent resistance comes as ICE agents have faced an unprecedented spike in car attacks, surging by some 3,200% over the last year, shocking data released by the Department of Homeland Security revealed to The Post.

Federal officials said violent “radical rhetoric from sanctuary politicians” is to blame for vehicular attacks against ICE agents skyrocketing between Jan. 21, 2025, and Jan. 7, 2026 — 66 attacks were recorded during that time period compared to just two the year before.

In October, US Border Patrol agents shot an armed woman in Chicago who attempted to run over agents with her car after a group of activists “boxed in” agents with 10 cars.

Last month, a federal judge dropped the charges against the woman, Marimar Martinez, who survived the shooting.

Good, a stay-at-home 37-year-old mother of three who dabbled in poetry, was shot in the head and killed as she sped her SUV in the direction of two immigration officers who were conducting an enforcement operation just south of the city’s central business district.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the shooting, which remains under investigation, was an act of self-defense and that the Goods had been “stalking and harassing” ICE agents in Minneapolis throughout the day.

County worker Kristin Peter, 30, who was also at the vigil, said Good was on the same ICE Watch team as one of her coworkers, and that she herself was attending a meeting of the group Thursday night.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/08/us-news/renee-nicole-good-was-minneapolis-ice-watch-warrior-who-trained-to-resist-feds-before-shooting/

Finally, the United States will follow through on its NATO commitments.

That’d be the cheeky interpretation of President Donald Trump’s announcement, via Truth Social, that he wants a US defense budget of $1.5 trillion next year.

This would represent a stunning 50% increase over the current budget, and put US spending right around 5% of GDP — the target level that NATO counties recently adopted at Trump’s insistence.

The details and follow-through will matter, but on its own terms, the Trump declaration is of epic significance.

Such a historic defense build-up would meet the moment — it’s never made sense for United States to enter a period of heightened risk of great power conflict at a time when it has difficulty replenishing its missile stocks.

It would match the predilections of a president who enjoys throwing his weight around.

If Trump wants to speak loudly and carry a big stick — his even more bumptious version of Teddy Roosevelt’s axiom — it requires the resources to build and maintain the stick.

And it would match his vision of a world-class military, which he covets as a matter of power and prestige.

You can’t have a Golden Dome — Trump’s project for an enhanced missile defense — or a Golden Fleet — his notion of a next-generation navy — without a Golden Defense Budget.

The scale of spending Trump is contemplating is truly astounding.

A $500 billion increase would roughly match the total annual spending of all non-US NATO countries.

The percentage increase would be highest since the Korean War, and double the biggest annual increases of the Reagan years (25% in 1981 and another 20% in 1982).

“We still talk about the Reagan buildup,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a speech last month to the Reagan National Defense Forum, “and my kids and yours will someday talk about the Trump buildup.”

The Trump proposal would not just be a down payment on that promise, but a big step toward fulfilling it.

If our military is highly proficient — as demonstrated in the Venezuela raid — it also lacks the materiel to wage a protracted war against a major power.

Defense analyst Mackenzie Eaglin of the American Enterprise Institute has long been ringing the alarm.

She recently noted that during the short Israel-Iran war, we fired 150, or 25%, of our THAAD missiles, exceeding our annual purchase rate by three times.

The same dynamic has held in the Red Sea, where the Navy fired more Tomahawks in January 2024 than it bought in all of 2023.

These shortfalls, as Eaglin points out, are especially disturbing when compared to the building capacity of our adversaries.

Whereas the Russians make more than 300,000 artillery shells a month, we make 40,000 155mm shells a month.

“Beijing builds six naval combatant ships,” she writes, “for every 1.8 ships the US builds.”

Even The New York Times — not ordinarily known for beating the drum for more defense sending — devoted a splashy editorial last month to the sorry state of our military-industrial base.

Headline: “America Can’t Make What the Military Needs.”

In his new book “War and Power,” scholar Phillips Payson O’Brien relates how wars between great powers are usually not won by brilliant battle plans, or by the commitment or proficiency of the troops.

Rather it is productive capacity, and the ability to degrade that of the enemy while maintaining or increasing your own, that makes the difference.

The Nazis were going to have a hard time ever winning the Battle of Britain when the Brits were producing twice as many aircraft as Hitler.

On top of this, a nation needs to make shrewd choices about what it is building (the Nazis also had the wrong planes for the Battle of Britain — bombers with payloads that were too small, and fighters with limited range).

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/08/opinion/why-trumps-1-5t-dream-military-budget-is-what-america-needs/

For years, California’s tech elite talked about leaving. Few actually did.

That calculus appears to be changing — fast — as a proposed California ballot initiative targeting billionaires sends some of the world’s richest founders scrambling to establish new roots, with Miami emerging as their landing pad.

Sources tell The Post tech founders from major companies like Netflix, WhatsApp and the payment system Stripe are among the latest looking to flee the Golden State for Florida in recent months.

The measure, which voters will decide on in November, would impose a one-time 5% tax on fortunes exceeding $1 billion and would retroactively apply to anyone deemed a California resident. The retroactive provision, advisers say, has turned what might have been a theoretical threat into an urgent deadline.

Google co-founder Larry Page has already made his move.

In December, Page, 52, quietly snapped up roughly $173 million of waterfront real estate in affluent Coconut Grove, purchasing one estate for just over $100 million and another nearby property for about $72 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The acquisitions, according to people familiar with the situation, coincided with efforts to disentangle his assets from California ahead of the cutoff date.

Agents on the ground say Page is far from alone.

“In the last probably month or so, I’ve had multiple billionaires from California come to see several different listings that I have,” Devin Kay, of Douglas Elliman, told The Post. “So there’s definitely a huge wave of them, it appears they are either buying properties in Miami or in the market to buy properties, and will once they find something here shortly.”

WhatsApp founder Jan Koum has been quietly looking in Miami for some time, sources familiar with his search told The Post, along with Netflix founder Reed Hastings.

And Google co-founder Sergey Brin has also been in discussions around a Miami-area purchase, according to the Journal, though no deal has been finalized.

Kay said the shift goes beyond the pandemic-era influx that reshaped South Florida’s luxury market.

“I’ve been seeing a huge influx from California ever since COVID,” he said. “In the last three or four years, I’ve seen more buyers from California than I ever have in my entire career. But I would say the mega-billionaires or the very, very wealthy people from California — that is definitely more recent as of the last, maybe two or three months.”

At the extreme upper end, Kay said, the motivation is straightforward.

“At that level of wealth, the amount of tax that you’re talking about is nine figures a year or 10 figures a year,” he said. “I think it’s pretty obvious why these guys are doing what they’re doing in Miami.”

The spending, however, is already distorting prices in Miami’s most exclusive enclaves. Kay pointed to the ripple effects that follow when a handful of ultra-wealthy buyers reset the ceiling.

“As great as it is to have these guys spending these amounts of money on real estate in Miami, it almost makes the market more difficult,” he said. “You have a few of these guys come in and spend $50 million, $70 million, $100 million, whatever it is. Now, every other homeowner in these neighborhoods is going to drastically alter their expectations of value.

“Unless you are one of these multi billionaires, you’re going to be completely priced out of the market,” Kay said.

Recent deals illustrate how quickly values have escalated.

“Even the property that Larry Page just bought in Coconut Grove for $72 million — when Roger Barnett bought that property just a handful of years ago, it was $40 or $45 million,” Kay said. “That was a mind-blowing price even at that time.

“So these properties that are trading to these guys have literally multiplied in value in just a matter of years,” he added.

Compass agent Miltiadis Kastanis said what’s unfolding now differs from earlier migration waves that reshaped Miami.

“Miami wasn’t a connected market where they vacation with their family, like New Yorkers did,” Kastanis said of wealthy Californians.

Instead, he said, California money arrived gradually — until now.

“I feel like it’s a moment in time where the California wealthy are actually making the move to Miami,” he said, adding that the urgency is new.

“You are starting to see big moves in the last couple months. Those are serious acquisitions. That’s a $100-plus million property,” he said. “This billionaires tax has given them the reason to say, ‘let’s do this.’ ”

Beyond taxes, Kastanis said Miami is actively reshaping itself to absorb the incoming wealth.

“Florida is an adaptive state. Miami is a very forward-thinking city,” he said. “Miami is working hard on accommodating a lifestyle for tech individuals that they’re used to from California.”

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/08/real-estate/tech-titans-leaving-california-for-florida-over-billionaire-tax/

The ICE officer involved in the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old mother in Minneapolis fired the first of three shots as the car moved past him, a Reuters analysis of the available visuals shows.

The final moments in the life of Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, have been relentlessly dissected since she was shot dead in her maroon-colored SUV during immigration enforcement actions in a residential neighborhood of Minneapolis on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that Good “ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in a press conference Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s assertion and said that having watched the video of the shooting, he believed claims of self-defense are “bullshit.”

The Reuters analysis is based on videos from onlookers that were independently verified by the news agency. None of the videos shows the moving vehicle from the officer’s perspective.

The videos reviewed by Reuters cover 20 seconds in the deadly encounter between Good and ICE. They show the ICE officer who fired the fatal shots was standing in front of the moving vehicle when he initially drew his firearm.

He opened fire one second later, firing three shots. The first pierced the windshield of Good’s car as the vehicle moved past him. The second and third shots were fired into the driver’s side of the vehicle as it continued moving past him.

Asked for comment on Reuters’ findings, the Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin called Good a violent rioter who weaponized her vehicle in an act of “domestic terrorism.”

Two experts consulted by Reuters said the actions of the officer would need further review.

Geoffrey Alpert, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, questioned why the ICE agent would place himself in front of a moving car.

Alpert said the officer’s positioning could be an example of officer-created jeopardy. “The crux of officer-created jeopardy is putting yourself in a position to use force in response to whatever the suspect’s doing, as opposed to just reacting to protect his own life or someone else’s,” said Alpert.

Ashley Heiberger, a police use-of-force expert with more than two decades of law enforcement experience in Pennsylvania, said that he could not draw a firm conclusion on the incident without a detailed analysis.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-TRUMP/MINNESOTA-RECONSTRUCT/egvbbeqeevq/

Nvidia (NVDA.O), 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.
The U.S. 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.
Nvidia’s 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 China’s 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 Nvidia’s 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 Nvidia’s 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.

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 China’s government to make a formal declaration on approval, but “if the purchase orders come, it’s because they’re 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% fee to be paid to the U.S. 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 U.S. has reversed that decision, China has since banned H20 shipments.
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 Nvidia’s 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.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/nvidia-requires-full-upfront-payment-h200-chips-china-sources-say-2026-01-08/

Iran suffered a nationwide internet blackout amid escalating economic protests, with monitoring groups reporting near-zero connectivity as authorities intensified digital censorship during a critical phase of unrest.

Internet connectivity and telephone lines went dark across Iran late Thursday after thousands of people in Tehran and other cities took to the streets following a call for mass protests by exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late Shah, according to the Associated Press.

Residents in Tehran shouted from homes and rallied on the streets as demonstrations spread, marking a new escalation in nationwide unrest as demonstrations entered their 12th day and anger over prices, jobs and living costs spilled into streets and homes.

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12th day of anti-establishment protests in Iran

The crowd of protesters in Tehran got bigger. Same location as the one quoted here@GeoConfirmed https://t.co/zwOV0BvI4Q pic.twitter.com/oa5c6HNao6

— Ghoncheh Habibiazad | غنچه (@GhonchehAzad) January 8, 2026

Internet access and phone services were cut shortly after the protests began. NOTAMs (Notices to Airmen) were issued in several regions, and flights were suspended at Tabriz International Airport.

In a tweet, Pahlavi slammed the Khamenei regime for snapping Internet services across Iran and thanked US President Donald Trump for reiterating his promise to hold Tehran to account.

“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,” he said.

“I want to thank the leader of the free world, President Trump, for reiterating his promise to hold the regime to account. 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,” he added.

Internet monitoring group NetBlocks said live data showed connectivity collapsing across multiple service providers, leaving large parts of the country effectively offline at a critical moment.

“Live metrics show Iran is now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout,” NetBlocks said. “The incident follows a series of escalating digital censorship measures targeting protests across the country and hinders the public’s right to communicate at a critical moment.”

Thursday saw a continuation of the demonstrations that popped up in cities and rural towns across Iran on Wednesday. More markets 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, said the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

Meanwhile, the protests remain largely leaderless, leaving questions about whether Pahlavi’s call will change their direction or momentum.

PAHLAVI URGES IRANIANS TO TAKE TO STREETS
Pahlavi had called for demonstrations at 8 pm (local time) on Thursday and Friday. When the clock struck, 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.

“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.”

Iranian authorities appeared to be bracing for the planned protests. The hard-line Kayhan newspaper posted a video online claiming security forces would deploy drones to identify participants.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/iran-hit-by-nationwide-internet-blackout-amid-escalating-economic-protests-2848996-2026-01-09

 

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.

“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.

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.

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.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c24g1lgqrvpo

The Venezuelan government has begun 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, including one dual national, had been released. Among them is thought to be rights activist Rocío San Miguel.

The move comes after the US seized Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in a lightning raid on the capital, Caracas, on Saturday, to face drug trafficking charges in New York.

The release of political prisoners in Venezuela has been a long-held US demand, especially during moments of heightened repression around elections or protests.

Jorge Rodríguez, the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly and the brother of its interim president Delcy Rodríguez, 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.

Jorge Rodríguez said the interim government was releasing them in the interest of “national unity and peaceful coexistence”.

The release of San Miguel, who is an expert in security, defence and Venezuela’s military was the first freed prisoner to be confirmed. She was arrested at Maiquetia airport, near Caracas, in February 2024.

It was alleged at the time that San Miguel, a vocal critic of Maduro, was involved in a plot to kill the then-president and faced charges of treason, conspiracy and terrorism.

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 Rodríguez’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.

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”.

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.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mkwl2g499o

Lobbying firms were also in contact with reporters from US newspapers like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal both during and after Op Sindoor.

Pakistan’s lobbying firms in Washington DC mounted a major effort to aid Islamabad’s outreach to top US politicians during and after Operation Sindoor, according to disclosures filed with the US Department of Justice (DOJ). Established firms like Squire Patton Boggs (SPG) and newer entrants like Javelin Advisors aided Pakistan in reaching out to the leadership of the Democratic and Republican parties in the House of Representatives and the US Senate as well as a slew of lawmakers dealing with foreign policy matters in both houses.

Javelin Advisors – which was founded by Donald Trump’s former bodyguard Keith Schiller and former Trump Organisation executive George Sorial – was hired by Pakistan in April for a monthly fee of $50,000. According to the firm’s filings with the DOJ, Javelin Advisors reached out to the offices of influential US politicians like Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during Operation Sindoor to lobby for Islamabad.

The firm also targeted lawmakers who lead key committees in both houses related to foreign affairs and South Asia. Javelin arranged a call between Pakistani Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast on May 7 to discuss tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. It also reached out to the offices of Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Tom Cotton and Richard Blumenthal – who variously serve in the Senate committees on foreign relations, intelligence and armed services.

Squire Patton Boggs – another of Pakistan’s lobbying firms – led outreach to over a dozen members of the House of Representatives during Operation Sindoor. Their stated purpose was to discuss “US-Islamic Republic of Pakistan Bilateral Relations”. A number of these lawmakers served on the subcommittee for South and Central Asian affairs in the House, which deals with issues related to India and Pakistan.

According to disclosures, SPG also disseminated an informational note that summarised Pakistan’s position on Operation Sindoor. The note accuses India of supporting terrorism within Pakistan and denies any involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack which took place in April. It also welcomes US President Donald Trump’s willingness to help settle the Kashmir dispute.

“Having demonstrated its unique ability to avert all-out war, the United States should remain engaged to help India and Pakistan reach verifiable agreements. Pakistan would welcome a U.S. mediating role,’ reads the note disseminated by Squire Patton Boggs.

Lobbying firms were also in contact with reporters from US newspapers like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal both during and after Operation Sindoor.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakhired-firms-lobbied-hard-in-us-to-aid-its-outreach-during-op-sindoor-101767812397175.html

JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N), and Apple (AAPL.O), on Wednesday announced a deal under which the bank will become the new issuer of the Apple Card, replacing Goldman Sachs (GS.N), further expanding the biggest U.S. bank’s credit card franchise.
The deal would cement JPMorgan’s position in the credit cards segment and mark another win for CEO Jamie Dimon, under whose leadership the bank has become a dominant force in retail and investment banking.

The move is estimated to bring over $20 billion in card balances to Chase’s platform once completed, the companies said.
JPMorgan expects to record a $2.2 billion provision for credit losses in the fourth quarter of 2025 tied to the forward purchase commitment of the portfolio.
The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and is not expected to close for roughly two years.
Mastercard will remain the payment network for Apple Card.
For Goldman, the exit marks another step in unwinding its consumer ambitions.
“This transaction substantially completes the narrowing of our focus in our consumer business,” Chief Executive David Solomon said.

The transaction is expected to add about 46 cents per share to Goldman’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings, driven by the release of $2.48 billion in loan-loss reserves. That will be partly offset by a $2.26 billion hit to net revenue tied to marking down the loan portfolio and contract termination costs, as well as $38 million of expenses, Goldman Sachs said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/jpmorgan-reaches-deal-take-over-apple-credit-card-wsj-reports-2026-01-07/

Location, location, location: Greenland’s position above the Arctic Circle makes the world’s largest island a key part of security strategy.

Increasing international tensions, global warming and the changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the debate over global trade and security, and U.S. President Donald Trump wants to make sure his country controls the mineral-rich island that guards the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America.

Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally that has rejected Trump’s overtures. Greenland’s own government also opposes U.S. designs on the island, saying the people of Greenland will decide their own future.

The island, 80% of which lies above the Arctic Circle, is home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people who until now have been largely ignored by the rest of the world.

Here’s why Greenland is strategically important to Arctic security:

Greenland’s location is key

Greenland sits off the northeastern coast of Canada, with more than two-thirds of its territory lying within the Arctic Circle. That has made it crucial to the defense of North America since World War II, when the U.S. occupied Greenland to ensure it didn’t fall into the hands of Nazi Germany and to protect crucial North Atlantic shipping lanes.

Following the Cold War, the Arctic was largely an area of international cooperation. But climate change is thinning the Arctic ice, promising to create a northwest passage for international trade and reigniting competition with Russia, China and other countries over access to the region’s mineral resources.

Security threats

In 2018, China declared itself a “near-Arctic state” in an effort to gain more influence in the region. China has also announced plans to build a “Polar Silk Road” as part of its global Belt and Road Initiative, which has created economic links with countries around the world.

Then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected China’s move, saying: “Do we want the Arctic Ocean to transform into a new South China Sea, fraught with militarization and competing territorial claims?”

Meanwhile, Russia has sought to assert its influence over wide areas of the Arctic in competition with the U.S., Canada, Denmark and Norway. Moscow has also sought to boost its military presence in the polar region, home to its Northern Fleet and a site where the Soviet Union tested nuclear weapons. Russian military officials have said that the site is ready for resuming the tests, if necessary.

Russia’s military has been restoring old Soviet infrastructure in the Arctic and building new facilities. Since 2014, the Russian military has opened several military bases in the Arctic and worked on reconstructing airfields.

European leaders’ concerns have been heightened since Russia launched a war in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Moscow is worried about NATO’s activities in the Arctic and will respond by strengthening the capability of its armed forces there. But he said that Moscow was holding the door open to broader international cooperation in the region.

U.S. military presence

The U.S. Department of Defense operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, which was built after the U.S. and Denmark signed the Defense of Greenland Treaty in 1951. It supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.

Greenland also guards part of what is known as the GIUK (Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom) Gap, where NATO monitors Russian naval movements in the North Atlantic.

Thomas Crosbie, an associate professor of military operations at the Royal Danish Defense College, said that an American takeover wouldn’t improve upon Washington’s current security strategy.

“The United States will gain no advantage if its flag is flying in Nuuk (Greenland’s capital) versus the Greenlandic flag,” he told The Associated Press. “There’s no benefits to them because they already enjoy all of the advantages they want.

“If there’s any specific security access that they want to improve American security, they’ll be given it as a matter of course, as a trusted ally. So this has nothing to do with improving national security for the United States.”

Denmark’s parliament approved a bill last June to allow U.S. military bases on Danish soil. It widened a previous military agreement, made in 2023 with the Biden administration, where U.S. troops had broad access to Danish air bases in the Scandinavian country.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, in a response to lawmakers’ questions, wrote over the summer that Denmark would be able to terminate the agreement if the U.S. tries to annex all or part of Greenland.

Danish armed forces in Greenland

Denmark is moving to strengthen its military presence around Greenland and in the wider North Atlantic. Last year, the government announced a roughly 14.6 billion-kroner ($2.3 billion) agreement with parties including the governments of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, another self-governing territory of Denmark, to “improve capabilities for surveillance and maintaining sovereignty in the region.”

The plan includes three new Arctic naval vessels, two additional long-range surveillance drones and satellite capacity.

Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command is headquartered in Nuuk, and tasked with the “surveillance, assertion of sovereignty and military defense of Greenland and the Faroe Islands,” according to its website. It has smaller satellite stations across the island.

The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, an elite Danish naval unit that conducts long-range reconnaissance and enforces Danish sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness, is also stationed in Greenland.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/greenland-denmark-security-trump-arctic-north-6066195d0c6b9e1bbe6da27d55b26ece

In a lengthy social media post, Donald Trump argued that NATO’s strength rests almost entirely on US military power.

US President Donald Trump claimed he “single-handedly ENDED 8 WARS” but said Norway, a NATO ally, “foolishly” chose not to award him the Nobel Peace Prize, reviving long-running grievances and praising his foreign policy record in a social media post.

Donald Trump wrote that while the prize “doesn’t matter,” what mattered, in his words, was that he had “saved millions of lives.” He singled out Norway- which hosts the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony- for denying him the honour, referring to it as the “Noble Peace Prize” in the post.

‘Rebuilt’ US Military And Global Deterrence, Donald Trump Says

In the same message, Donald Trump argued that his leadership restored American military strength and deterrence, saying the United States is respected by its adversaries because of actions taken during his presidency.

“The only Nation that China and Russia fear and respect is the rebuilt U.S.A.,” Donald Trump wrote, linking that strength to what he described as his success in preventing wider wars and brokering peace.

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 Nepal’s 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 government’s 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 minister’s 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 Karki’s 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 Nepal’s 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.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/nepal-gen-z-protests-election-karki-c0e31196bce52064ac577e04170212c2

The 37-year-old woman fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Wednesday had been “stalking and impeding” federal law enforcement all day, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent who she allegedly tried to ram with her car during a chaotic protest in a Minneapolis neighborhood – just one mile away from where George Floyd was choked to death by a police officer in 2020.

Noem, during a Wednesday evening press conference, said that Good had been “stalking and impeding” on the agency’s “lawful operations” in the hours leading up to her death.

The DHS chief said a car rolled up on an ICE vehicle that was stuck in the snow alongside “a mob of agitators that were harassing them all day” and attempted to block the agents.

ICE officers approached the woman in the rogue vehicle, later identified as Good, and ordered her to move.

Noem alleged that Good opted to “weaponize her vehicle” in an “attempt to kill or to cause bodily harm to agents.”

She slammed Good’s alleged attack as “an act of domestic terrorism” – just one of three she said took place in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

It’s unclear where or when the other “vehicle rammings” happened.

Noem and President Trump said that the agent who shot Good was injured during the attack.

He was treated for unspecified injuries at a hospital and later discharged, said Noem.

“The fact of the matter is, he’s an experienced officer. He’s been in situations like this before. And he certainly has been out there and followed his training today,” Noem said at the press conference.

The DHS honcho also said the same officer was previously “dragged by an anti-ICE rioter” in a similar ramming attack in June.

More than “100 of these vehicle rammings” against federal officers have been reported over the last few weeks, Noem claimed.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/07/us-news/minneapolis-driver-fatally-shot-by-ice-agent-had-been-stalking-and-impeding-law-enforcement-noem/

Following the attack on Venezuela and the capture of Nicolas Maduro, the US has been threatening other countries in the region. They have reacted with defiance.

Colombia is “very sick,” and its government is run by “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States,” US President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday. Asked about a military intervention in Colombia, he responded: “Sounds good to me!”

Gustavo Petro’s response to Trump’s threat was not long in coming. The Colombian president had already frequently fired back at attacks from Trump or Elon Musk on social media, and this time Petro also went all out on the platform X.

“Every soldier in Colombia now has an order: any commander of the security forces who gives preference to the US flag over the Colombian flag will be immediately dismissed from the institution on the orders of the base, the troops, and myself. The order to the security forces is not to shoot at the people, but at the attacker,” Petro wrote, before calling on Trump to “stop slandering” him while urging Latin American countries to unite or risk being “treated as a servant and slave.”

“The president takes the attacks very personally and therefore responds more as Gustavo Petro than as president,” Sandra Borda, political scientist and professor at the Universidad de los Andes, told DW. “Yet he only has the support of a third of the population, his base, for this provocative discourse. Those who are not left-wing, and especially the business sector, which is very dependent on trade with the US, find Petro’s reaction inappropriate. It did not go down well with them.”

The US is “baring its teeth” at Colombia, said Borda, and Venezuela’s neighbor is taking the US government’s threats against its president much more seriously following the arrest of Nicolas Maduro. The Trump administration has never made any secret of the fact that it considers left-wing governments in South America a problem and the continent the United States’ backyard.

With regard to Colombia, the strategy could be to simply play for time and hope for a victory for the ultra-right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who is believed to be friendly to the US, in the presidential elections in May. Although the left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda is ahead in all polls. The right-wing camp is fragmented and could do everything in its power to prevent Cepeda from winning in a possible runoff election. Petro is constitutionally barred from running again.

“I don’t believe that there will actually be a military strike or military intervention in Colombia. But the US is, of course, already exerting influence,” Stefan Peters, director of the German-Colombian peace institute CAPAZ in Bogota, told DW.

However, Peters pointed out that Trump has already made comments that affected the election campaigns in Argentina and Honduras. “Trump’s statement on Colombia alone, made rather casually on his plane, has had a huge impact. And, of course, there is a calculated motive behind it,” Peters argued.

Cuba: Lack of Venezuelan oil intensifies the struggle for survival

“Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. They’re not getting any of it. Cuba literally is ready to fall,” Trump told reporters on his plane on Sunday.

At least outwardly, President Miguel Diaz-Canel did not appear particularly concerned when he accused the US of “fascist state terrorism” and “imperialist barbarism” at a Sunday rally in Havana in front of thousands of supporters, saying: “No, gentlemen imperialists, this is not your ‘backyard’… We do not recognize the Monroe Doctrine, nor the kings or emperors above us. For the sake of Venezuela, as well as for the sake of Cuba, we are ready to give even our blood, even our life, but we will not back down. Now is not the time of half measures; it is the time of certainty and choice of sides in the face of fascism and imperial barbarism. Down with imperialism!”

But for Cuba expert Bert Hoffmann, Cuba is the biggest loser following the US military strike in Venezuela.

“The situation is already very tense, and the loss of Venezuelan oil is dramatically exacerbating the energy crisis. This oil accounted for 70% of all Cuba’s oil imports,” said Hoffmann, a political scientist at the GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies in Hamburg. “There is no one in Cuba who is not deeply concerned about this, both among the population and the government. So the crisis will continue to worsen.”

This suggests that the strategy of attempting to bleed Cuba dry economically could work. Even now, everyday life for Cubans is difficult: There are hours-long power outages, a daily struggle for food, medicine, and fuel, and a futile wait for visitors following a massive slump in the country’s most important source of income, tourism. The Cuban government is now trying to find replacements for oil supplies from Venezuela, and according to Hoffmann, is looking to Russia, Arab states, Iran, or Algeria.

“The most likely scenario is that the political leadership will make every effort to keep the ranks so tightly closed that the dissatisfaction of the population will ultimately find no political expression,” Hoffmann told DW.

So far, the power apparatus in Cuba appears to have maintained great unity.

“The Communist Party, the military, and the security apparatus are closely intertwined,” said Hoffmann. “As long as no cracks appear there, this elite will remain relatively firmly in the saddle.”

He also said he believes Cuba cannot hope for significant assistance from Russia and China — there will be some support, but not to the extent of open confrontation with the United States. Hoffmann does not believe that the US will intervene militarily in the immediate future, but said, “Economic pressure measures could be tightened once again, for example with sanctions against ships calling at Cuba. But after what we have seen in Venezuela, a full naval blockade is also conceivable in the medium term.”

Mexico: The ‘Trump whisperer’ has to excel in diplomacy

“She is very afraid of the cartels,” Trump said of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in an interview with Fox News on Saturday. “I’ve asked her many times, ‘Would you like us to eliminate the cartels?'” Sheinbaum, he claimed, had declined. “So we have to do something, because in my opinion the real number of deaths [from drug use] is 300,000 a year.”

The left-wing Mexican president has so far managed to contain the US president with great diplomatic skill, even earning her the nickname the “Trump whisperer.”

Speaking to journalists on Monday, Sheinbaum said she did not see a hypothetical US intervention in Mexico as likely, even though Trump had insisted on it during calls between the two leaders.

“I don’t believe in an invasion; I don’t even think it’s something they’re taking very seriously,” Sheinbaum said. “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.”

“The worst-case scenario is not that Trump threatens Mexico with military action,” an op-ed in Mexico’s largest newspaper, El Universal, wrote. “The worst-case scenario is that there are Mexicans who begin to wish for such an attack and applaud it.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/colombia-cuba-and-mexico-are-these-donald-trumps-next-targets/a-75426078

African leaders weigh sovereignty, international law and strategic interests after the US seized Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro and flew him out of the country.

The US military’s pre-dawn attack in Venezuela on Saturday and the capture of authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores over alleged drug offenses prompted a swift response from the African Union.

The bloc expressed “grave concern” and called for respect for sovereignty of states and their territorial integrity.

“The African Union calls upon all parties concerned to exercise restraint, responsibility, and respect for international law to prevent any escalation and to preserve regional peace and stability,” it said in a statement on the situation in Venezuela.

Maduro: a disputed president

The United States does not regard Maduro as a legitimate president. Like the EU and many Latin American states, it questions the official result of Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, which was accompanied by allegations of fraud.

Washington accuses Venezuela of bringing deadly drugs into the US, an allegation Venezuela rejects.

US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday morning that Maduro and his wife had been “flown out of the country.”

Macharia Munene, an international relations professor at the United States International University Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, said that it is “horrifying that this has been done by a country that claims to uphold international law.”

“Venezuela is an example of what can happen when smaller countries do not follow the instructions of the United States or other major powers,” Munene told DW.

“African countries often end up being the ones who suffer,” the professor said. “The question is: How can they defend themselves from such actions?”

Strategic ties trump public condemnation

Remi Dodd, a sub-Saharan Africa analyst at RANE, a risk intelligence company, said that very few national governments in Africa have taken a strong stance against Washington’s action in Venezuela.

“Nigeria has been relatively quiet, not denouncing US action,” Dodd told DW.

“Same thing for Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya,” he said. “And even governments which have a history of some form of anti-imperialist rhetoric like Namibia, for example, have been pretty quiet.”

Dodd noted that some governments in Africa likely have a vested interest in not undermining their relationship with the US.

“The question of potential US retaliation down the line in response to criticism of US action in Venezuela is probably driving the fact of many African governments being quiet,” he said.

‘Complete violation of international law’

South Africa, which Trump has accused of alleged discrimination — and even “genocide” — of minority white Afrikaners, called the US military actions a grave violation of international law.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said the intervention contravenes the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against states’ political independence and territorial sovereignty.

“Unlawful, unilateral force of this nature undermines the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations,” the DIRCO said in a statement.

Pretoria called for the UN Security Council “to urgently convene to address this situation.”

The South African Communist Party described the capture of Maduro as “an act in complete violation of international law” and a “brazen act of international piracy.”

DR Congo pact highlights mineral stakes

A Ghanaian government press release cited by news portal GhanaWeb noted with “deep concern” remarks by Trump that the US would temporarily run Venezuela and that major US oil companies would be invited to operate there.

“Ghana described these statements as reminiscent of the colonial and imperialist era,” GhanaWeb reported.

Munene, the international relations professor, claimed that Washington may also be eyeing Africa’s natural resources.

One example is the recently concluded strategic partnership agreement between the US and the Democratic Republic of Congo, under which American companies gain access to critical minerals essential for electric vehicles and advanced electronics in exchange for security support from the US.

“Africa is rich in important raw materials that some countries covet and want to deny their rivals,” Munene noted. “But in the end, it is often the African countries themselves that pay the price.”

“One of the saddest things is that countries that usually champion sovereignty and respect for international law appear to support Donald Trump’s actions in invading another country,” Munene told DW. “The contrast is striking: In 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, there was widespread condemnation.”

Munene said that now there is silence — or even support — for what Trump has done.

“Only the weaker countries are condemning it,” he added. “That is not acceptable.”

The breakaway region of Somaliland welcomed the US action “as part of international efforts to restore democratic governance and the rule of law in Venezuela,” reported the Somali Guardian.

Somaliland affirmed “its principled alignment with the United States in support of calibrated international action aimed at restoring constitutional order, democratic legitimacy, and the rule of law in Venezuela,” according to a statement from Somaliland’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.

After Venezuela: ‘Who is next?’

Greater than anything else now is the fear of Trump’s willingness to launch quick military strikes, says Munene.

The concern: the US could strike anyone at any time, without weaker states being able to protect themselves. “The question is: Who is next?”

Last year, the US launched airstrikes in Nigeria and Somalia — officially as part of the “war on terror.”

In December, Trump said he had ordered the US military to launch “powerful and deadly” strikes against targets of the so-called “Islamic State” group in northwestern Nigeria at the request of authorities in the country’s Sokoto State.

The strikes came after months of Trump threatening military action against what he labeled an “existential threat” to Christianity in Nigeria, a claim that the country’s government rejects.

In January 2025, Trump ordered airstrikes on a senior “Islamic State” attack planner and others from the terror network in Somalia.

An official in the Somali president’s office, speaking on condition of anonymity and reported on by Reuters, said Somalia’s government had backed the strikes.

Dodd, the RANE analyst, offers reassurance, noting that there are many differences between Africa and Latin America.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/maduros-capture-sparks-african-debate/a-75407413

A SHOCKING clip from a deadly ICE shooting has drawn an immediate reaction from President Trump, who called it a “horrible thing to watch.”

The president said he watched footage of the incident and claimed the officer fired in “self-defense.”

The deadly confrontation took place on Wednesday in Minneapolis, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

“I have just viewed the clip of the event which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a horrible thing to watch,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“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,” he continued.

Trump said the officer, who was struck by the vehicle, is recovering in the hospital.

“Based on the attached clip, it is hard to believe he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital.”

He went on to link the shooting to what he described as growing hostility toward law enforcement by the left.

“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,” Trump wrote.

“They are just trying to do the job of MAKING AMERICA SAFE.”

He ended his post with a call to support ICE agent and police nationwide.

“We need to stand by and protect our Law Enforcement Officers from this Radical Left Movement of Violence and Hate!” the president said.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed Trump’s words, and said the victim had been “stalking” immigration agents before the shooting.

She also revealed that the ICE official who opened fire was involved in another recent ordeal in which he was hit and dragged by a “rioter” in June.

Dubbing Good’s actions as an “act of domestic terrorism”, Noem said: “People need to stop using their vehicles as weapons.

“To use your vehicle to try to kill law enforcement officers has got to stop.”

What Happened

Video from the morning shows a woman using her car to block federal agents during an immigration crackdown.

Agents walked up to the vehicle and appeared to test the door before the car suddenly surged forward, prompting an ICE officer to fire three shots at the driver.

Footage obtained by ABC affiliate KSTP then shows the maroon Honda speeding off and slamming into a car parked along the street.

The driver was identified by her mother as Renee Nicole Good, a Twin Cities resident who lived with her partner, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Good’s mother, Donna Granger, said she was devastated and furious as she tried to process what happened.

Photos from the scene showed crowds rushing to the spot where the Good was shot, with many protesters joining from a nearby anti-ICE protest already underway.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15748125/trump-ice-shooting-video-horrible-cant-believe-agent-alive/

THE REAL reason Nicole Scherzinger refuses to return to The Masked Singer has now come to light, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.

It’s been almost two years since The Pussycat Dolls frontwoman walked away, sparking nonstop pleas from fans for her return.

Nicole, 47, left The Masked Singer after season 10 and was replaced by British singer Rita Ora in season 11.

Since exiting from the Fox show, Nicole has gone on to earn a Tony nomination for her critically acclaimed Broadway role in Sunset Boulevard and scored a new judging gig on Netflix’s Building the Band.

The surge in her professional career success has been a recipe for the girl group member to spread her wings and fly the nest for good, with the source spilling: “Nicole was so loved on the show, but she became too big a star. And too expensive.

“After all the Broadway buzz, she became too high-brow, too elevated, for Masked Singer.”

The source maintained that Nicole “wasn’t snobby” about the decision at all, but it “became clear that this show was beneath her at a certain point, and coming back would be a mistake.

“She’s much better off with the path she’s going down now.

“The show is saving a lot of money with Nicole gone. Rita is cheaper. If the price was right, Nicole could have come back, potentially, sure.

“But they can no longer afford her with her current ask. There was no way it was going to happen.”

Despite the judges’ shakeup, the transition with Rita, 35, has been overall smooth after a slightly bumpy start.

“Rita gets along well with the judges and crew on the show just fine, but there was a lot of awkwardness at the beginning.

“Rita was joining this family that had been together for years and needed time to find her footing. But she’s found it and seems to be thriving.”

MASK’S OFF

The Masked Singer premiered in 2019 and has already produced 14 seasons with their two-seasons-a-year format.

Nicole was an integral part of the show’s success, alongside fellow judges Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke, and Jenny McCarthy, who still remain on the series.

Nick Cannon has returned for his role as the host in season 14 and also serves as an executive producer.

The Masked Singer season 14 premieres with a supersized two-hour episode on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at 8 pm ET.

The premiere will include a slew of performances and the reveal of new costumes, including the Eggplant, Corgi, Scarab, and Pugcasso.

Wednesday’s episode will also set the stage for the season’s first double elimination.

REALITY CHECK

Though The Masked Singer appears to unveil their celebrities in front of a live studio audience, The U.S. Sun previously reported that reality TV trickery occurs during the eliminations.

“What fans don’t realize at home is that the entire live audience is forced to leave the studio before the unmasking takes place.

“The live studio audience is present for all of the performances. And they film wide shots of the packed audience with the contestant fidgeting with there helmet and costume to make it look like they will unveil himself.”

The source spilled that there are different ways the show implements TV trickery to pull off a seamless unveiling.

“Then, when no one is on the stage, the camera crew films close-ups of fans yelling, ‘Take it off! Take it off!’

“But they never do the unmasking when people are present in the room. Everyone in the audience is escorted out by production, and they leave the building.

“The only people present when the unmasking of the celebrity happens are the judges and the show crew,” they added.

On the Fox series, it appears as though the audience is present inside the studio when the celebrity contestant removes their costume.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tv/15746282/the-masked-singer-nicole-scherzinger-never-return-reason-broadway/

NICK Reiner’s siblings want their “seriously ill” brother to avoid the death penalty despite the alleged murder of their parents.

Rob and Michele Reiner’s children, Jake and Romy, believe Nick’s mental health crisis triggered the alleged attack, a family friend told The U.S. Sun.

Nick is accused of stabbing his parents to death on December 14.

The director’s troubled middle child has had an extensive history of drug addiction and was reportedly recently diagnosed with schizophrenia.

A new medication cocktail prescribed to him had reportedly caused his erratic symptoms to further spiral before he allegedly stabbed his parents to death in their $10 million Brentwood mansion.

Nick is facing two counts of first-degree murder stemming from the alleged attacks, and he could be handed the death penalty.

The insider said, “Rob & Michele’s family, despite everything, do not want Nick to get the death penalty, as they insist this horrific incident was the byproduct of a mental health crisis.”

The source, who is close to the family, said the Reiners’ disturbed middle child was “diagnosed with schizophrenia just weeks before the stabbings and was under close psychiatric care.”

The source said, “Nick’s symptoms took a turn for the worse after doctors adjusted his medication before the killings, which the family believes, triggered increasingly concerning behavior.”

After a change in meds, the source claimed, the 32-year-old grew even more unpredictable and unstable than before, while also exhibiting signs of confusion.

“The family feels this was all a massive failure in his care and they firmly believe he was seriously ill when he did this.”

The source added: “The last thing the Reiners want is another killing in the face of this unbelievable tragedy, and that the death penalty would only bring more pain.

“It won’t bring back Rob and Michele.”

The insider said that the family supports Nick if he pleads not guilty by reason of insanity, and they want justice in the form of treatment for Nick.

Nick had been open about his struggles with drug addiction and admitted in interviews that he had been to rehab dozens of times since he was 15 years old.

His siblings also want to make sure a mental health tragedy like this is preventable going forward.

The U.S. Sun reached out to the Reiner family’s rep for comment.

Nick is set to be arraigned today – three weeks after the horrific murders.

In the days after the killings, Romy and Jake put out a statement, asking for compassion in the wake of the tragedy.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life.

“We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave,” Nick’s siblings said.

DEATH PENALTY POSSIBILITY

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman is pursuing “special circumstances,” a legal move that could make Nick eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

However, even if prosecutors decide to seek the death penalty, he would not face execution under California’s current moratorium.

Governor Gavin Newsom established this pause in 2019, indefinitely halting all executions while keeping capital punishment as a legal option on the books.

Jo-Anna Nieves, an Oakland-based criminal defense attorney, explained to Fox News that the order “halted executions, closed the execution chamber at San Quentin, and paused lethal-injection protocols,” but did not eliminate existing death sentences.

“The executive order issued by Gavin Newsom halted executions, closed the execution chamber at San Quentin, and paused lethal-injection protocols, but it did not repeal the death penalty or invalidate death sentences imposed by courts,” Nieves noted.

“California still has the death penalty on the books, and prosecutors are legally permitted to seek it in eligible cases.”

District Attorney Hochman also indicated that the desires of the family will be taken into account when determining the final sentencing approach.

HOLLYWOOD NIGHTMARE

Rob and Michele died minutes after they were allegedly subjected to a brutal attack by their son, according to their death certificates.

The legendary filmmaker’s time of death was logged as 3:45 pm on December 14, while his wife’s death was recorded just one minute later at 3:46 pm.

The tragic scene at Reiner’s Brentwood residence was discovered after a massage therapist arrived at the residence for a scheduled appointment on the afternoon of December 14, as reported by The New York Times.

When the therapist could not get a response at the front gate, she contacted the couple’s daughter, Romy, who reportedly lived nearby.

When Romy, 27, arrived and entered the house, she discovered the scene and reportedly found her father’s body first.

Reiner and Singer were found in their bed with their throats cut; the Daily Mail reported that they may have been asleep at the time of the attack.

When the Los Angeles police arrived at the property around 3:30 pm, Romy informed the authorities that her brother, Nick, lived at the home with their parents.

However, officers were unable to find Nick on the premises at that time.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15741256/nick-reiner-siblings-ill-brother-avoid-death-penalty/

IN A surprising revelation, Khloé Kardashian recently outed a paranormal experience at her sister Kylie Jenner’s opulent Los Angeles mansion.

The house, currently listed for an astounding $48 million, is believed by Khloé, Kylie, Kris, and Scott Disick to house a ghost.

During a recent episode of her podcast, Khloé in Wonderland, Khloé shared this unusual tidbit, adding a thrilling twist to the property’s allure.

Located in the desirable Holmby Hills neighborhood, the mansion has been the residence of makeup mogul, Kylie Jenner, since 2020.

The 15,350 square foot house features 7 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, a home theater, gym, and other amenities designed for luxury living.

However, the whispers of paranormal activity could reshape perceptions of the lavish estate.

“Kylie has a ghost in her house,” Khloé revealed, sharing her family’s experiences while filming content at the property.

“We were filming with that ghost. He didn’t really want to be seen though,” she remarked, hinting at an elusive spirit that may reside within its walls.

Khloé also recounted a peculiar incident at her own home, involving a heavy shearling coat that allegedly began to spin uncontrollably while hanging in her closet.

This prompted her to greet it, as if addressing the ghostly presence directly.

“I feel like I’m always having some paranormal experience,” she reflected, suggesting that supernatural occurrences might be commonplace within the Kardashian household.

As the Kardashian-Jenner clan continues to dominate the entertainment landscape, this ghostly narrative intertwines with their already complex public personas.

It raises questions about the intersection of fame, fortune, and the unexplained.

capturing the attention of fans and the media alike.

With Kylie’s mansion now up for sale, the potential ghostly presence may attract a niche market of homebuyers interested not just in luxury but also in the possibility of supernatural encounters.

Kylie’s Holmby Hills estate, with its lavish amenities and imposing price tag, now carries an additional layer of intrigue.

The combination of high-end real estate and ghostly tales may serve to enhance the property’s appeal to potential buyers, who might be drawn to the mansion’s rumored haunted history.

As interest in Kylie Jenner’s mansion swells, especially upon potential marriage rumors with Timothée Chalamet, both the real estate market and paranormal enthusiasts will be keenly watching.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15747240/khloe-kardashian-kylie-jenner-ghost-la-mansion/

US President Donald Trump and his officials are “actively” discussing a potential offer to buy the Danish territory of Greenland, the White House has confirmed.

It is “something that’s currently being actively discussed by the president and his national security team”, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday.

Both Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly stressed the island was not for sale.

Asked why the Trump administration had previously said it was not ruling out using military force to acquire Greenland, Leavitt replied that all options were always on the table but Trump’s “first option always has been diplomacy”.

Concerns over the future of the territory resurfaced after Trump’s unilateral use of military force against Venezuela on Saturday to seize its President Nicolás Maduro. Denmark, a fellow Nato ally, says an attack on its territory would end the military alliance.

The Trump administration says Greenland is vital to US security.

Despite being the most sparsely populated territory, its location between North America and the Arctic makes it well placed for early warning systems in the event of missile attacks, and for monitoring vessels in the region.

Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, has been operated by the US since World War 2.

In recent years, there has also been increased interest in Greenland’s natural resources, including rare earth minerals, uranium and iron that are becoming easier to access as its ice melts due to climate change. Scientists think it could also have significant oil and gas reserves.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that he will hold talks with Denmark next week.

Trump previously made an offer to buy the island in 2019, during his first presidential term, only to be told it was not for sale.

“The acquisition of Greenland by the United States is not a new idea,” Leavitt said.

“The president has been very open and clear with all of you and with the world, that he views it in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region, and so that’s why his team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like.”

The White House said earlier this week that Trump had been discussing a range of options to acquire Greenland, including using military force.

“All options are always on the table for President Trump as he examines what’s in the best interests of the United States,” Leavitt said.

Earlier in the day, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Rubio had “ruled out the possibility of an invasion” of Greenland in a phone call with him.

Barrot is due to discuss the Arctic island with his German and Polish counterparts later on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, European leaders issued a joint statement rallying behind Denmark.

“Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations,” the leaders of France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark said in a joint statement.

Stressing they were as keen as the US on Arctic security, the European signatories said this must be achieved by Nato allies, including the US, “collectively”.

They also called for “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders”.

A day after the US military action in Venezuela, Katie Miller, the wife of one of Trump’s senior aides, posted a map on social media of Greenland in the colours of the US flag, alongside the word “SOON”.

On Monday, her husband, Stephen Miller, said it was “the formal position of the US government that Greenland should be part of the US”.

Aaja Chemnitz, one of two MPs in the Danish parliament representing Greenland, told the BBC that the comments from the Trump administration were “a clear threat”.

“It’s completely disrespectful from the US side to not rule out annexing our country and to annex another Nato ally,” she said.

But Chemnitz said she saw this as unlikely – instead, “what we are going to see is that they will put pressure on us in order to make sure that they will take over Greenland over time”.

Aleqatsiaq Peary, a 42-year-old Inuit hunter living in Greenland’s remote northerly town of Qaanaaq, appeared indifferent to the potential of US ownership.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly39pgmvrzo

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has said her coalition should “absolutely” be in charge of the country, following the US ousting of President Nicolás Maduro last week.

“We are ready and willing to serve our people as we have been mandated,” Machado said in an interview with the BBC’s US news partner CBS.

She thanked US President Donald Trump for his “leadership and courage” after US forces stormed Caracas and arrested Maduro, but said nobody trusted the deposed president’s ally, who has been appointed as interim leader.

Machado and her opposition movement claimed victory in 2024’s widely disputed elections, but Trump has refused to back her, saying she lacks popular support.

The former legislator, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, described US military action in Venezuela over the weekend as “a major step towards restoring prosperity and rule of law and democracy in Venezuela”.

She said she had not spoken to Trump this year, but expressed gratitude to him for deposing Maduro.

“President Trump’s leadership and courage has brought Nicolás Maduro to face justice and this is huge,” she told CBS.

Despite her overtures, the US president has publicly dismissed Machado as a credible successor to Maduro.

“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,” Trump told a news conference on the day of the US operation, referring to Machado.

“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.”

Machado, who has been in hiding for months after being barred from running in the 2024 presidential elections in Venezuela, previously called for the opposition’s substitute candidate Edmundo González to assume power after Maduro’s arrest.

Machado rallied support for González in the election, and vote tallies released by her party suggest he won by a landslide.

However, Maduro was declared president by Venezuela’s electoral council (CNE), a body dominated by government loyalists. The US and dozens of other countries recognised González as the president-elect.

David Smolansky, a spokesman for the Venezuelan opposition, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that there was no future for a well-functioning country without González and Machado in power.

“They could guarantee a democratic transition, and they have the respect of Venezuelans and several governments across the world,” he said.

Asked why he thought Trump had so far chosen to back Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez – formerly Maduro’s vice-president – rather than the opposition, Smolansky said: “Every transition, when it begins, is not perfect – it’s messy.”

He also responded to suggestions that the opposition’s lack of support within the military was one of the reasons Trump had chosen to back Rodríguez, saying there were members of the armed forces – both currently serving and in exile – that were ready to work with them.

Machado has said nobody trusted Rodríguez, telling CBS that the interim leader was “one of the main architects… of repression for innocent people” in the South American country.

“Everybody in Venezuela and abroad knows perfectly who she is and the role she has played,” Machado said.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0er4qd3115o

A pair of twin mountain gorillas has been born in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo – a rare occurrence for the endangered primates, conservationists at Virunga National Park say.

The community trackers, who discovered 22-year-old Mafuko hugging her newborns on Saturday, said the mother and her two baby sons all appeared to be well and healthy.

Twin births are thought to account for about 1% of all mountain gorilla births, though exact data is not widely available.

Virunga, situated in a conflict-prone part of DR Congo, is Africa’s oldest and largest national park and was set up 100 years ago to protect mountain gorillas of which there are fewer than 1,100 left in the wild.

They are only found in the Virunga and in national parks over the border in Rwanda and Uganda, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which compiles a Red List of threatened species.

The last birth of mountain gorilla twins in Virunga National Park was in September 2020.

Mafuko herself gave birth to twins in 2016, but they both died within a week.

Young gorillas rely entirely on their mothers for care and transport – and are extremely vulnerable in what can be a dangerous environment where poachers and many armed groups operate.

The authorities at the park say additional monitoring and protection measures have been put in place to ensure the twins’ survival during this critical period.

Rangers would closely observe the young family and provide support if needed, they said.

A gorilla’s pregnancy lasts for about eight-and-a-half months, and females usually give birth to one infant every four years.

According to Virunga conservationists, Mafuko has had a remarkable history of survival herself.

Born in 2003 into the Kabirizi family, she lost her mother to armed attackers when she was four years old.

She joined the Bageni family when she was 10 – and to date has been pregnant and given birth five times.

Conservationists at Virunga, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site, say her latest offspring represent a significant boost for efforts to protect the endangered species.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c86v3y45pyyo

The United States says it has seized two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports in “back-to-back” operations in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean.

US forces boarded the Russian-flagged Marinera after a pursuit lasting almost two weeks as it travelled through the waters between Iceland and Scotland. The UK Royal Navy gave logistical support by air and sea.

A second tanker – the M/T Sophia – was accused by the US of “conducting illicit activities” and boarded in the Caribbean.

The moves come as the US seeks to choke off most exports of Venezuelan crude oil, and just days after its special forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a lightning raid on his residence in Caracas.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X: “The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT – anywhere in the world.”

Moscow has denounced the seizure of the tanker sailing under its flag, and demanded that the US treat Russians aboard properly and permits them to return to Russia quickly.

The transport ministry said it had given the vessel “temporary permission” to use the Russian flag, adding that no state had the right to use force against vessels properly registered in other states’ jurisdictions.

Reports suggested that Russia dispatched a submarine to safeguard the vessel, but it appears that US forces were able to board the tanker without facing any resistance.

The White House described the ship as a “Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel deemed stateless after flying a false flag and had a judicial order” against it.

Venezuela’s leadership is co-operating with the US on the second tanker seized in the Caribbean, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

“They understand that the only way they can move oil and generate revenue and not have economic collapse is if they co-operate and work with the United States,” he told reporters.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump had said that 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.

Rubio, who briefed US lawmakers on the ongoing operation in Venezuela on Wednesday, said that the US would sell oil that is in Venezuela “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”.

He said the US had a considered plan for the future of Venezuela, and that the administration was “not just winging it”.

Rubio said the Trump administration’s plan in Venezuela was stabilisation, recovery and then transition.

But the discussions surrounding oil were only one component of concern US lawmakers had over the escalating conflict.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said lawmakers needed answers to lingering questions of how many US troops could be involved and how much money the US involvement in Venezuela will cost.

Republicans largely appeared to back the administration’s moves in the region, though some expressed concern about what kind of say Congress had.

The Senate is expected to vote next week on a bipartisan war powers resolution – an attempt to block continued military action in Venezuela. A war powers resolution – created in the wake of the Vietnam War – limits a president’s power to involve US armed forces in hostilities without congressional approval.

“If we’re going to have continued engagement in the next phase, I think it has got to be subject to [war powers],” North Carolina’s Thom Tillis said.

Meanwhile, Missouri’s Josh Hawley said that if the administration’s actions were a law enforcement operation, then it does not require congressional approval, but “if it’s a military operation involving a foreign head of government, even one we don’t recognise officially, that’s a very different situation”.

China – the biggest buyer of Venezuelan oil in recent years – has condemned the US moves and accused it of threatening global energy security.

The seizure of the two tankers was announced by the US military in separate posts on social media on Wednesday.

The US European Command said the M/V Bella 1 – using the former name of the Marinera – was boarded “for violations of US sanctions”.

“The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro”, a Coast Guard cutter.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said RAF surveillance aircraft and a naval support vessel, the RFA Tideforce, were among the UK military assets that took part in the operation, following a US request for assistance.

Defence Secretary John Healey said the action was “in full compliance with international law”, and “formed part of global efforts to crack down on sanctions- busting”.

The vessel has been accused of breaking US sanctions and shipping Iranian oil.

Images published by Russian state broadcaster RT show a helicopter close to a ship that appears to be the M/V Bella 1.

The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping shows that the tanker had changed its name to Marinera, and was sailing under the Russian flag. Its home port stated as the southern Russian city of Sochi on the Black Sea.

The Russian transport ministry said US forces boarded the Marinera at about 15:00 Moscow time (1200 GMT), after which communications with the vessel were lost.

US officials said that Marinera was falsely flying the flag of Guyana last month, which made it stateless.

Experts told BBC Verify that the US called the ship Bella 1 as a vessel cannot change its flag during a voyage unless there was a real transfer of ownership or change of registry.

The experts also said that under UN international maritime law, a stateless vessel can be boarded by authorities.

Separately, the US Southern Command announced on Wednesday that the defence and homeland security departments “apprehended a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker without incident”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y2v8ngl14o

Chen Zhi’s Cambodian nationality was also revoked by royal decree in December 2025, authorities said.

Chinese-born tycoon Chen Zhi, who was indicted by the United States on fraud and money-laundering charges for running a multibillion-dollar cyberscam network from Cambodia, has been arrested there and extradited to China, Phnom Penh said Wednesday (Jan 7).

Chen allegedly directed operations of forced labour compounds across Cambodia, where trafficked workers were held in prison-like facilities surrounded by high walls and barbed wire, according to US prosecutors.

Since the US indictment and sanctions by Washington and London in October, authorities in Europe, the United States and Asia have targeted Chen’s firm, Prince Holding Group, with a frenzy of asset confiscations.

Chen founded Prince Group, a multinational conglomerate that authorities say served as a front for “one of Asia’s largest transnational criminal organisations,” according to the US Justice Department.

Cambodian authorities “have arrested three Chinese nationals namely Chen Zhi, Xu Ji Liang, and Shao Ji Hui and extradited (them) to the People’s Republic of China”, the country’s interior ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The operation was carried out on Tuesday “within the scope of cooperation in combating transnational crime” and according to a request from Chinese authorities “following several months of joint investigative cooperation”, it said.

Chen’s Cambodian nationality was “revoked by a Royal Decree” in December, the interior ministry added.

Chinese authorities did not immediately comment late Wednesday on Chen’s arrest and extradition.

The US Justice Department also declined to comment Wednesday.

US authorities in October unsealed an indictment against Chen, a businessman accused of presiding over compounds in Cambodia where trafficked workers carried out cryptocurrency fraud schemes that have netted billions of dollars.

Chen was charged in absentia with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering, after he and unnamed co-conspirators allegedly exploited forced labour to dupe would-be investors, using the proceeds to purchase yachts, jets and a Picasso painting.

He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted in the United States on wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges involving approximately 127,271 bitcoin seized by Washington, worth more than US$11 billion at current prices.

Prince Group has denied the allegations.

According to the US charges, scam workers were forced – under threat of violence – to execute so-called “pig butchering” scams, cryptocurrency investment schemes that build trust with victims over time before stealing their funds.

Based on his indictment, Prince Holding Group built at least 10 compounds in Cambodia where workers – often migrants held against their will – were forced to contact thousands of victims through social media or online messaging platforms, build rapport and entice them to transfer cryptocurrency with hopes of big investment returns.

The schemes target victims worldwide, causing billions in losses. More than US$14 billion in bitcoin was seized, with FBI director Kash Patel then calling it “one of the largest financial fraud takedowns in history”.

Chen’s businesses were also sanctioned by US and UK authorities as part of a joint operation against a “transnational criminal organisation”, and among those sanctioned were three individuals from Singapore and 17 entities registered in Singapore.

SEIZURE OF ASSETS

The Singapore Police Force in October last year seized and issued prohibition of disposal orders against financial assets worth over S$150 million (US$115 million), as part of forgery and money laundering investigations into Chen and Prince Group.

The assets included six properties, bank accounts, securities accounts and cash, among others.

Singaporean Nigel Tang Wan Bao Nabil was also arrested last month over suspected money laundering offences linked to Chen. He was reportedly the captain of a superyacht owned by Chen and was one of three Singaporeans sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for their ties to the tycoon.

In November, Hong Kong authorities said they had frozen assets worth HK$2.75 billion (US$354 million) linked to Prince Group, while Taiwanese prosecutors said they had detained 25 people and seized NT$4.5 billion (US$147.09 million) in assets tied to the group.

WHO IS CHEN ZHI AND PRINCE GROUP?

The 37-year-old is the founding chairman of Prince Holding Group, which has interests in various sectors such as real estate, financial services and consumer businesses.

Its key business units are Prince Real Estate Group, Prince Huan Yu Real Estate Group and Prince Bank.

The group boasts over US$2 billion worth of projects in Cambodia, including a large shopping mall, Prince Plaza, in the capital Phnom Penh.

According to media reports, Chen also holds British citizenship.

On the company’s website, Chen is described as a “respected entrepreneur and renowned philanthropist within the Cambodian business community”. It stated that he takes part in various charitable activities through the group’s charitable arm, Prince Foundation.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/chen-zhi-cambodia-prince-group-scam-extradited-china-5836821

OpenAI last fall set aside an employee stock grant pool equivalent to 10 per cent of the company, valued at $500 billion in October, The ‌Information reported on Wednesday, ‌citing two people with knowledge of the plans.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. OpenAI did not immediately respond to Reuters’ ‍request for a comment.

OpenAI has already given $80 billion in vested equity, which, along with the employee ​stock grant pool, ‌comprises about 26 per cent of the company, according to the ​report.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/openai-earmarks-50-billion-employee-stock-grant-pool-information-reports-5837681

Chelsea have tried almost everything since BlueCo swept in with promises of modernisation in 2022, with heavy spending, long contracts and youth-heavy squads, but what has remained elusive is the one thing the club once took for granted — stability.
That is something they have set out to change with the appointment of Liam Rosenior on Tuesday as the Englishman becomes Chelsea’s fourth permanent head coach under the current ownership.

By offering the 41-year-old a contract until 2032 after parachuting him in from their sister club Racing Strasbourg, BlueCo are signalling not just another managerial change but an attempt to lock in a long-term identity.
Since the takeover, illustrious names like Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Maresca have all departed — all casualties of an ownership group that professed patience while repeatedly resorting to upheaval.
Knee-jerk decisions were often associated with Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea, yet the frequency of change has been mirrored by his successors.
Rosenior’s appeal thereby lies in his suitability to the “player development” model BlueCo insist they are building.

At Strasbourg, he coaxed progress from one of the youngest squads in Europe, guiding them to European qualification in his debut season.
The emphasis was on structure and improvement rather than quick fixes — the sort of developmental arc Chelsea’s owners believe they can scale up.

EMULATING BRIGHTON’S MODEL

Rosenior’s arrival is also less about star power than familiarity — the product of an ecosystem heavily influenced by Brighton & Hove Albion, the club Chelsea’s hierarchy increasingly appear eager to emulate.
Brighton’s rise as they punched above their financial weight was founded on clarity.
Under chairman Tony Bloom, they built a tightly integrated sporting department where recruitment, data analytics and coaching worked towards a shared identity.
Managers were selected to fit the system and not define it, allowing the club to absorb departures without losing direction. Patience, not panic, became the defining principle at the south-coast club.

While uprooting Graham Potter from Brighton was a failed experiment, BlueCo’s pursuit of Rosenior echoes that philosophy as he also knows the Brighton way, having played there, coached the youth team and worked with key figures now embedded at Chelsea.
Paul Winstanley, Chelsea’s co-sporting director, previously collaborated with Rosenior at Brighton and was instrumental in placing him at Strasbourg.
Sam Jewell, Brighton’s former head of scouting, has also been drawn into Chelsea’s orbit, while the squad includes key ex-Brighton players like Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez and Joao Pedro.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/chelsea-chase-stability-with-rosenior-owners-lay-out-new-longterm-blueprint-2026-01-06/

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday released transcripts of video recordings in which they say the gunman who carried out last month’s fatal mass shooting at Brown University and later took his own life had admitted to planning the attack months in advance.
The four videos recorded by the suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, were discovered during a search of the storage locker in Salem, New Hampshire, where he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot on December 18, ending a six-day manhunt, the prosecutors said.

Valente, 48, a Portuguese national who had attended Brown two decades ago as a doctoral student in physics, slipped into an engineering building on the Ivy League campus on December 13 and opened fire with a handgun, killing two students and injuring nine others, according to police.
Authorities later determined that after fleeing the Providence, Rhode Island, scene of the Brown attack, Valente killed a physics professor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a separate shooting at his home outside Boston.
Valente and the slain MIT professor Nuno Loureiro had once been classmates in Lisbon, authorities said after linking the two shooting incidents. But investigators have yet to offer a motive for either case.

The newly released transcripts of the videos, recovered by the FBI from an electronic device and translated from Portuguese to English, mark the first statements attributed to Valente since his death but shed little new light on the Brown tragedy.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston, which has overseen the federal investigation of the shootings, Valente “admitted that he had been planning the Brown University shooting for a long time.”
In the rambling, disjointed recordings prosecutors say he made while holed up in the storage unit after the shootings, Valente refers to a shell casing injuring one of his eyes and adds that he had “already planned this for a little more” than “six semesters.”
Except for repeated mentions of his eye injury, however, Valente speaks elliptically of what has happened, never explicitly talks about firing a gun or killing anyone, and offers no insights into what precipitated the violence ascribed to him.

“I don’t know if there are any kind of implications of what I wanted to do or not,” he said. “It was all incompetent, but at least something was done. … The only objective was to [pause] leave more or less on my own terms and — and it’s — it’s already long overdue.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/video-recordings-by-brown-university-shooting-suspect-deemed-confession-2026-01-07/

Venezuela transported gold worth almost 4.14 billion Swiss francs ($5.20 billion) to Switzerland during the early years of the leadership of ousted President Nicolas Maduro, customs data shows.
The South American country sent 113 metric tons of the precious metal to Switzerland from 2013 – when Maduro took office – to 2016, according to data reviewed by Reuters.

The gold originated from Venezuela’s central bank, Swiss broadcaster SRF said, at a time when the government was selling down gold to support its economy.

There were no gold exports from Venezuela to Switzerland from 2017, when EU sanctions were imposed, to 2025, customs data showed.
Maduro was seized by U.S. special forces in a raid in Caracas on January 3, and faces charges in a New York court including drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.
On Monday, Switzerland ordered the freezing of assets held in the country by Maduro, and 36 associates, but did not give any information on possible value or source of such funds.
It is unknown if there is any link between any such assets and gold transferred from the central bank.
The gold, from Venezuela’s reserves, was likely transferred to Switzerland for processing, certification and onward transport, SRF reported.

Switzerland is one of the world’s biggest centres for gold refining, with the country hosting five large refineries.
The central bank of Venezuela has sold down its gold reserves to support the country’s economy and raise hard currency in the face of U.S. sanctions.
“There was big distress selling by the Venezuelan central bank from 2012 to 2016. A lot of this will have come to Switzerland,” said Rhona O’Connell, a markets analyst at StoneX.
“Thereafter it could have stayed with counterparties in the financial sector, or sold as small bars to Asia, or anywhere in the world.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/venezuela-under-maduro-shipped-gold-worth-52-billion-switzerland-2026-01-06/

Protests over economic hardship continue across Iran, with at least 36 protesters killed and more than 1,000 arrested as security forces crack down on demonstrations centred around Tehran and western provinces.

Security forces fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators at the Tehran bazaar on Tuesday as protests over the rising cost of living continued across Iran, with an NGO saying more than two dozen people have been killed in the crackdown on the most significant unrest to hit the Islamic republic in three years. Amid protests, Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi has issued the first call to action to the Iranian people.

The protests were triggered by anger over economic hardship, with the Iranian rial losing value again on Tuesday to reach another record low against foreign currencies.

Large crowds have also gathered in Abdanan as nationwide anti-regime protests continue. Thousands of protesters flooded the streets of the city, with videos showing demonstrators chanting “Javid Shah” (Long Live the Shah).

The protest wave began on December 28 with a shutdown by merchants in the Tehran bazaar, a national economic hub, and later spread to other areas, particularly western Iran, which is home to Kurdish and Lor minority groups. It marks the most serious protest movement in the Islamic republic since the 2022–2023 nationwide rallies sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women.

EXILED CROWN PRINCE’S FIRST CALL TO ACTION

Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last monarch, has issued his first public call to action to the Iranian people amid the ongoing nationwide protests. In a message released during the unrest, Reza Pahlavi said, “This Thursday and Friday, January 8th and 9th, starting precisely at 8 pm wherever you are, whether in the streets or even from your own homes, I call on you to begin chanting exactly at this time. Based on your response, I will announce the next calls to action.”

CRUSHING DISSENT

Iran’s Fars news agency reported that “sporadic gatherings” took place around the bazaar during an afternoon shutdown, with police dispersing protesters who then scattered into nearby alleyways. In social media footage verified by the news agency AFP, protesters could be heard shouting slogans including “Pahlavi will return” and “Seyyed Ali will be overthrown,” references to the monarchy ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution and to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Separately, Iran International reported, citing sources, that Iranian-backed Iraqi militias are helping suppress the protests. The report said Iraqi militias began recruiting fighters about four days ago to assist forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with around 800 Iraqi Shiite militiamen reportedly deployed. Most are said to belong to Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, and the Badr Organisation.

According to the report, the fighters are being transferred through the Shalamcheh, Chazabeh, and Khosravi crossings under the cover of pilgrimage trips to the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad. They reportedly gather at a base linked to Ali Khamenei in Ahvaz before being dispatched to different regions to take part in what was described as a violent crackdown on demonstrations.

Footage posted by IHR and the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRNA) showed dozens of people chanting “freedom” and “shameless,” before security forces fired tear gas, forcing demonstrators to disperse as smoke rose from the ground. The official IRNA news agency said “some” people were arrested, without providing numbers.

With protests continuing for a tenth day in other regions, HRNA shared footage of large crowds marching in Abdanan in western Iran, chanting slogans including “this is the last message, the entire regime is the target.” The demonstrations have not reached the scale of the 2022–2023 movement or the mass 2009 protests that followed disputed elections, but they pose a new challenge for the leadership amid an economic crisis and following the 12-day war against Israel in June.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/iran-violent-protest-tehran-grand-bazar-inflation-killed-dead-ayatollah-khamenei-2847812-2026-01-07

The new government in Prague wants to change the constitution to anchor the Czech crown as the country’s legal tender and guarantee the right to use cash, not just cards. Why has it made this pledge, and will it happen?

The new right-wing populist government of Andrej Babis has made a firm pledge to ensure Czechia never adopts the euro.

Instead, the government will seek to enshrine the Czech crown as legal tender and guarantee the right to use cash.

“We commit that our government will not adopt the euro nor take any steps towards its introduction,” reads the policy program approved by the new government — a coalition of Babis’s ANO party, the euroskeptic Motorists for Themselves and the far-right SPD — at its inaugural cabinet meeting on Monday.

“We will propose to parliament that the Czech crown be anchored in the Constitution of the Czech Republic — along with the right to hold and use cash as legal tender.”

Can the Czech government keep its promise?

It’s a big promise, and — for now — an empty one.

The Babis government commands 108 seats in the lower house. But changing the constitution requires a three-fifths majority, which is a minimum of 120 of the 200 lawmakers in the Chamber of Deputies.

Even if that hurdle was passed, there’s the Senate to consider, and there the bar is even higher: A three-fifths majority of all senators present in the 81-seat upper house would need to support the law.

But for now, only 15 are aligned with the government.

Granted, the Czech president, Petr Pavel, has no veto power over constitutional acts; he merely promulgates them. But the parliamentary arithmetic would seem to render this policy pledge toothless.

So, why bother making it?

A political gesture

“It’s a political gesture,” said Robert Brestan, editor-in-chief of the independent news outlet Hlidaci Pes (Watchdog).

“It’s an unspoken demonstration of resistance to the euro, or more broadly to the European Union, from part of the governing coalition, especially the SPD. Their voters respond to this,” he told DW.

“The chance of a paragraph on ‘the Czech crown for all eternity’ cluttering up the Czech constitution is — in my view — essentially zero,” said Brestan. “The coalition does not have the votes for it either in the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate.”

The symbolism of cash

The right to use cash, meanwhile, is a common bugbear for populist and far-right parties across Europe.

It has little to do with convenience and is more about symbolism; opposition encompasses distrust of the state and its institutions; cash is framed as protection against surveillance, control or arbitrary power.

There is a widely voiced fear in far-right circles of “digitalization imposed from above,” which is often linked to fears of social credit systems or “digital totalitarianism.”

It chimes with anti-EU sentiment, expresses resistance to perceived Brussels-driven harmonization, and appeals to sovereignty and personal freedom.

Czechs already have the right to use cash

Robert Brestan, however, points out that some government representatives appear to have a personal fondness for keeping their assets under the mattress.

“In his asset declaration, for example, Motorist lawmaker Filip Turek said that he keeps nine million crowns [around €370,000 or $434,000] in cash. Jindrich Rajchl [a lawmaker elected for the SPD] meanwhile said he had six million. Which is … odd,” he said.

Brestan also pointed out that the right to use cash is already enshrined in Czech law — Act No. 136/2011 Coll. on the circulation of banknotes and coins. Any merchant who refuses to accept cash is already violating the law, unless there are clear extenuating circumstances.

As he points out, it’s usually the reverse situation — when a shop doesn’t accept cards — that causes public irritation. Czechs are a digital nation with their hands constantly primed on their smartphones, ready to reach for Apple Pay or Google Pay.

What role does the euro play in all this?

Czechia formally committed itself to adopting the euro when it joined the European Union in 2004. Since then, however, successive governments have pushed back the potential adoption date.

With the Babis government, that point is now a faint dot blinking on the distant horizon, barely visible. The Czech population also remains mostly hostile toward adopting the single European currency.

“[Public opposition to euro adoption] is deep and the issue is politically very sensitive,” said Martin Ehl, chief analyst for the economic daily Hospodarske noviny.

“The fear is connected with skepticism around the eurozone crisis in the past, feelings about sovereignty and the possibility of price rises,” Ehl told DW.

“Given the traditional Czech euroskepticism — with ex-president Vaclav Klaus dominating the discourse on Europe for decades — as well as a recent upsurge in populism and nationalism, it would be political suicide for any politician or party to push for the introduction of the euro,” he went on.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/czechia-government-andrej-babis-czech-crown-cash-bank-notes-currency-euro/a-75403939

DONALD Trump is “aiming to buy” Greenland off of Denmark but has refused to rule out taking the coveted territory by force.

The US president is continuing to pile pressure on Europe as he eyes up the key island which he describes as a “national security priority”.

France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark have all rallied together to support the Danish autonomous territory.

A strong statement from the European leader – led by Sir Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron – states that: “Greenland belongs to its people.”

“It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the leaders added.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Monday that the Don was looking to purchase the mineral-rich isle, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The White House said on Tuesday that using the US army is “always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal” – but Rubio has downplayed military action.

He instead suggested that Trump is leaning more towards paying for the Danish land, rather than invading it and risking a Nato implosion.

It comes after Europe banded together to declare Greenland “belongs to its people”, defying Trump after he insisted he was “very serious” about seizing the territory.

The White House said: “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 ‌US military is ‍always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”

The US could buy Greenland in order to own it, or create a compact of “free association” with the island, according to a senior Washington source.

Despite warnings from European allies, the issue is reportedly “not going away” as the Don continues to double down on his threats.

An extraordinary meeting of Danish parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee will take place at Christiansborg Palace this evening to discuss the escalating threat of annexation.

It comes after President Donald Trump told NBC News he was “very serious” about a US annexation of the Danish-owned isle, doubling down on the narrative that Washington needed the Arctic island for “national security”.

He said he had “no timeline” for taking action, but maintained he is “very serious” in his intent.

He again refused to rule out the use of force to secure it, the suggestion being that Greenland could be America’s next target after the US military action in Venezuela.

“We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months,” Trump began telling media on Air Force One.

“We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic. Right now Greenland has Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” he went on to say.

But Nato would not survive an American attack to seize Greenland, Denmark has warned.

The furious Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen gave a chilling response to Trump’s threats.

She said an attack on the Nato-protected territory would be the end of “everything”.

“If the US chooses to attack another Nato country militarily, everything stops. Including our Nato, and the security that has been provided since the end of the second world war,” she told Danish television network TV2.

But the White House deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser Stephen Miller argued “nobody’s gonna fight” America over the future of Greenland.

He also demanded to know what the “basis” of Denmark‘s territorial claim was for the mineral-rich island.

He justified the US would seize the strategic, resource-rich isle if it wanted because “the United States is the power of Nato”.

“For the United States to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend Nato and Nato interests, obviously, Greenland should be part of the United States, and so that’s a conversation that we’re going to have as a country,” he said.

Previously, military experts and defence analysts believed a US invasion of Greenland was unlikely since the Danish autonomous territory is part of Nato, along with the US.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer slapped down Donald Trump, insisting he “stands” with Denmark.

The British Prime Minister backed PM Frederiksen, saying she was “right” to reject any US claim over the Arctic island.

Asked about her stance, the PM told Sky News: “Well, I stand with her, and she’s right about the future of Greenland.”

Elsewhere, the Prime Minister was asked by the BBC if he agreed with calls from the Danes for the US president to stop proposing American annexation of the island.

“Yes,” Sir Keir replied, adding: “Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark are to decide the future of Greenland, and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.

“Denmark is a close ally in Europe, it is a Nato ally.”

Nato‘s Article 5 – which has underpinned 80 years of North Atlantic peace – states that an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all.

If Trump attacked Greenland it should trigger an armed response from Nato’s 31 other members, including the UK.

PM Frederiksen said The US had no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom, adding that Denmark already has a defence agreement with America,

“I would therefore strongly urge the ‌US to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly ​said that they are not for sale,” she said.

Trump’s bombing of Venezuela that led to Maduro’s ouster has raised fears of Washington’s annexation of Greenland.

Just hours after the US military operation in Venezuela, MAGA firebrand Katie Miller – the wife of Donald Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Steven Miller – posted a map of Greenland draped in the American flag.

Sharing the post on X, she wrote: “Soon.”

The threat to take over the Danish autonomous territory coveted by Washington drew widespread outrage from Greenlanders and Danes.

Copenhagen’s ambassador to the US, Jesper Møller Sørensen, reposted Miller’s provocation with a “friendly reminder” of the longstanding defence ties between the two countries.

He wrote: “We are close allies and should continue to work together as such. US security is also Greenland’s and Denmark’s security.

“The Kingdom of Denmark and the United States work together to ensure security in the Arctic.”

The Arctic is increasingly the object of a struggle between international superpowers.

Greenland, located between North America and Europe, is strategic at a time of rising US, Chinese and Russian interest in the region as the race for rare earths heats up.

Greenland’s location also puts it on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the US.

Russia and China have both ramped up efforts to take control of the region, and concerns exist that America has been caught off guard.

The US has its Pituffik military base in Greenland, an essential part of Washington‘s missile-defence infrastructure.

Earlier in March, Vice President JD Vance blasted Denmark for not keeping Greenland safe from the looming threats from China and Russia.

Trump’s number two arrived in Greenland with his wife Usha for a controversial visit.

He told Space Force guardians at the base that Greenland’s security is under threat from Russia and China and “we must wake up to that”.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15737161/trump-serious-seizing-greenland-furious-danes-threaten-nato-end/

AMY Schumer has filed for divorce from her husband, Chris Fischer, after seven years of marriage.

The comedian filed on Tuesday with the New York County Supreme Court.

It comes less than one month after Amy, 44, announced she and Chris, 45, were parting ways.

The actress revealed the news in an Instagram post, along with a photo of herself and the professional chef sitting side by side on the subway.

“Blah blah blah Chris and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage after 7 years. We love each other very much and will continue to focus on raising our son,” Amy’s caption read, referring to their 6-year-old son, Gene David Fischer.

She then clarified that their split wasn’t a result of her recent weight loss, despite rumors that their marriage was on the rocks after her drastic physical transformation.

“We would appreciate people respecting our privacy at this time. blah blah blah not becisse I dropped some lbs and thought I could bag s basket and not because he’s a hot Janlmes beard award winning chef who can still pull some hot tail,” Amy’s post continued.

“Amicable and all love and respect! Family forever.”

Shortly before, the Kinda Pregnant star posted a cryptic comment about her relationship with Chris, fueling speculation that their marriage was in trouble.

Fans had already wondered if there was trouble in paradise between the pair after Amy posted photos of herself not wearing her wedding ring.

In another post, the Trainwreck star clapped back at critics questioning her relationship status, saying if she and Chris did part ways, “weight loss or autism” wouldn’t be the reason.

Amy revealed during her 2019 Netflix comedy special, Growing, that her husband was on the autism spectrum, in an effort to destigmatize the disorder.

She and Chris got married in February 2018 in a beach ceremony in Malibu, California.

In February, the comic joked about the prenuptial agreement they signed before exchanging vows.

“7 years ago we signed a prenup and haven’t had to utilize it! Love you babe,” Amy wrote beside a photo from their wedding day.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15742124/amy-schumer-files-divorce-husband-chris-fisher-split/

 

Colombian President Petro challenges US President Trump after a military operation in Venezuela, warning of guerrilla uprisings and serious consequences if escalation continues.

After US President Donald Trump threatened military action against Colombia’s government following a raid in Venezuela, President Gustavo Petro dared him to “come get me.”

The Colombian President has strongly condemned the US military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of its leader Nicolas Maduro. In a statement, Petro challenged Trump, saying, “Come get me. I’m waiting for you here.”

Petro warned of serious consequences if the US escalates the matter further, saying, “If they [the US] bombs, the campesinos will become thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if they detain the president which a large part of the country loves and respects, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people.”

A video showing Petro daring Trump has surfaced on social media.

‘Will Take Up Arms Again’: Petro After Trump’s Threat

Prosecutors cited sabotage and arson among the possible crimes in a suspected far-left attack on Berlin’s power supply. A group claiming the attack said it was targeting “the fossil fuel economy.”

German federal prosecutors on Tuesday said they had launched a terrorism investigation into an arson attack on high-voltage cables that triggered a power blackout affecting about 45,000 households in Berlin.

Prosecutors said they were probing Saturday’s attack on suspicion of “membership in a terrorist organization, sabotage, arson and disruption of public services.”

What do we know about the Berlin power-out?

The attack was claimed online by a far-left extremist group calling itself Vulkangruppe, or Volcano Group, which said it was targeting “the fossil fuel economy” driving climate change.

“In the greed for energy, the Earth is being drained, sucked dry, burned, ravaged, razed, raped and destroyed,” the group wrote.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner condemned the attack, saying “suspected left-wing extremists knowingly put lives at risk, especially those of patients in hospitals, as well as the elderly, children and families.”

As of Tuesday, about 24,700 households and 1,120 businesses were still without power.

Grid operator Stromnetz Berlin said it aims to restore full electricity supply by Thursday afternoon.

What was the response to the blackout?

Berlin emergency services, supported by the army and charity groups, initially scrambled to help those affected to warm accommodation, including care home residents. Hotels, schools and sports centers were also used to supply shelter.

Emergency measures remain in place, with the German military providing logistic help and fueling emergency generators. Public swimming pools have been opened around the clock to allow residents to shower and warm up. About 20 schools remain closed, and public transport buses have been deployed as temporary warming shelters.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/german-prosecutors-open-terror-probe-into-berlin-blackout/a-75413616

 

Chinese officials are reviewing Meta’s US$2 billion acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Manus for possible technology control violations, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday (Jan 6), citing two people familiar with the matter.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Meta and Manus ‌did not immediately respond to requests ‌for comment.

Chinese commerce ministry officials began assessing whether the relocation of Manus’ staff and technology to Singapore and the consequent sale to Meta required an export licence under Chinese law, the report said.

While the review is ‍in its preliminary stages and may not lead to a formal investigation, the need for a licence could provide Beijing with an avenue to influence the transaction, including, ​in an extreme ‌case, trying to force the parties to abandon the deal, the report added.

Meta acquired Manus last ​month, when a source familiar with the matter told Reuters ⁠that the deal values ‌the Singapore-based firm at between US$2 billion and US$3 billion.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/china-review-meta-acquisition-manus-ai-singapore-5828021

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle grated on Queen Elizabeth’s nerves — so much that the late monarch pawned her grandson and his wife off on an equally annoyed Prince (now King) Charles, according to a new book.

Author Robert Jobson writes in “The Windsor Legacy” how the queen had warmly welcomed Markle into the family, viewing her “dual heritage, beauty, and communication skills” as assets.

By the time the Sussexes stepped down as working royals and decamped to California in 2020, the queen publicly wished them well, but, in private, was “tired of the drama.”

So much so, Jobson claims, that she eventually ordered Harry’s calls be redirected to his father, Charles.

But a tired Charles also reportedly grew weary after his son “swore at him and demanded funds,” according to the book.

“I’m not a bank,” the now-king allegedly declared to his friends.

A source close to Harry dismissed Jobson’s book, telling Page Six that the duke is “not a big fan of fiction.”

The book claims the queen was puzzled by her grandson’s behavior during negotiations for his and Markle’s exit, describing things as “quite mad.”

“She made it clear to those close to her that privately she felt let down by the Sussexes’ departure,” Jobson writes, “which she saw as short-sighted and a missed opportunity.”

There were allegedly issues even before the couple was married in 2018.

Like the queen, Charles initially appreciated Markle and thought she was good for his son.

“But by the time of the engagement announcement,” Jobson writes, “his enthusiasm seemed to have waned. When staff offered their congratulations, his response was notably restrained.”

Harry, Jobson claims, got into a spat with the queen’s trusted dresser, Angela Kelly, over a tiara that his fiancée wanted to wear for their wedding. When the queen found out what happened, “she was very disappointed.”

The couple reportedly dealt with their stress by receiving treatments from celebrity acupuncturist Ross Barr, but the book reports staff noted that Harry “stayed on edge, petulant and short-tempered.”

While other reports claimed that it was Markle who was demanding, according to the book “it was Harry, trying too hard to make everything perfect, who was the one making waves.”

Jobson writes that the queen also found Harry’s older brother, Prince William, at times troublesome.

In July 2022, months before her death, she was scheduled to attend the official opening of a new hospice near Windsor. Feeling frail, she asked William to stand in for her — but the future king “cried off, citing fatherly duties.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/01/06/royal-family/prince-harry-drove-king-charles-to-say-im-not-a-bank-book/

The Trump administration has added seven countries, including five in Africa, to the list of nations whose passport holders are required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply to enter the United States.

Thirteen countries, all but two of them in Africa, are now on the list, which makes the process of obtaining a U.S. visa unaffordable for many.

The State Department last week quietly added Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia and Turkmenistan to the list. Those designations took effect on Jan. 1, according to a notice posted on the travel.state.gov website.

It’s the latest effort by the Trump administration to tighten requirements for entry to the U.S., including requiring citizens from all countries that require visas to sit for in-person interviews and disclose years of social media histories as well as detailed accounts of their and their families’ previous travel and living arrangements.

U.S. officials have defended the bonds, which can range from $5,000 up to $15,000, maintaining they are effective in ensuring that citizens of targeted countries do not overstay their visas.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/us-visa-restrictions-trump-bond-travel-7211e43ef4eb84144717c3331ab89e8e

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy replaced the head of Ukraine’s security service Monday, continuing a top-level reshuffle ahead of a trip to Paris where he hoped to finalize agreements with allies on how to ensure that Russia doesn’t repeat its invasion if a peace agreement is signed.

Zelenskyy is trying to revamp his administration as the grinding war of attrition with Russia marks its fourth anniversary next month. He is keen to keep up the momentum of U.S.-led peace talks as well as sharpen Ukraine’s focus on defense if those efforts collapse.

The Paris talks are expected to include the leaders of about 30 countries, dubbed the “coalition of the willing,” which are ready to provide security guarantees to keep Ukraine safe in the future.

Key issues include whether countries are prepared to deploy troops inside or close to Ukraine and what the remit of any force overseeing a ceasefire might be. Russia has said it won’t accept troops from NATO countries on Ukrainian soil.

Zelenskyy’s changes at the top

Michael Reagan, the eldest son of former President Ronald Reagan and actress Jane Wyman, died at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday, his late father’s foundation announced in a statement.

Reagan, 80, dedicated himself to upholding his father’s legacy in his work as a conservative author and radio talk show host.

He spent much of his public life defending and promoting the Reagan administration, which was largely devoted to scaling back the government’s involvement in daily life and bringing an end to the Cold War.

“Michael Reagan lived a life shaped by conviction, purpose, and an abiding devotion to President Reagan’s ideals,” the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute wrote.

Reagan was adopted by his parents hours after his birth in 1945 and detailed his personal complications with his parentage in his book “Twice Adopted.”

Still, he endeavored to follow in his parents’ footsteps. After attending Arizona State University and Los Angeles Valley College, he tried to establish himself as an actor but later pivoted to radio and writing. He also devoted himself to several charities, including the John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation, which he chaired for three years.

His father passed away after a long-fought battle against Alzheimer’s in 2004.

The foundation lauded Reagan’s accomplishments and cited his dad’s “fatherly pride” in him, as described in the 1990 autobiography “An American Life.”

“When I read his book, I had even more of a fatherly pride in Mike than I had had before…he was happy and at peace with himself,” the former president wrote.

The foundation described Reagan’s death as “a profound loss,” adding that his “presence, warmth, and unwavering commitment will be deeply missed at the Reagan Library and far beyond its walls.”

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/06/us-news/michael-reagan-son-of-former-president-ronald-reagan-dead-at-80/

A pair of billionaire brothers from New Zealand has quietly snapped up 16 beachfront Malibu lots destroyed by last year’s fires – dishing out well over $65 million with plans to put up prefab homes there.

Nick and Mat Mowbray, co-founders of toy and consumer-goods giant Zuru, have plans to deliver factory-built prefab homes manufactured in China, ABC7 reported.

The deals were first reported by realtor.com in August, when the buyers had already dished out $65 million for the first nine properties. The lots were purchased under Zuru Tech Us LLC, the construction division of Zuru, records show.

“For us, we have a research project that focuses on factory-built homes, and we saw an opportunity,” Zuru Tech U.S. operations director Marcel Fontijn told the Real Deal in October.

“If you imagine there being rebuilding efforts on 300 houses that burned down in terms of how many contractors, how many framers [and] how many roofers, where are you going to pack all these people?” Fontijn added. “And that’s where we really saw that we can provide a solution to a problem.”

The homes reportedly use lightweight concrete walls and concrete roofing touted as “fire safe,” made to be assembled on site. They would each be unique in design, and completed in as little as four-to-six weeks, once permits are in hand.

“Our plan was to build one home that was used by the Mowbrays, but after we bought the first lot, we had many public inquiries if we were interested in buying additional lots,” Fontijn told ABC7. The hope is to finish two homes by the end of 2027, and the remaining 14 by 2029, according to the outlet.

Despite the big plans, Malibu hasn’t received any building permit applications or formal development proposals from the brothers, a spokesperson for the city told The Post on Tuesday.

“As with all properties, any future proposals would be subject to the City’s standard review and approval processes in compliance with applicable local and state regulations,” Malibu information officer Matt Myerhoff said.

To date, only 22 building permits have been issued in Malibu after roughly 600 homes were destroyed last January, according to the city. But, Myerhoff said that a total of 488 permits have been issued for repairs, debris removal and other remediation work from the Palisades fire.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/01/06/us-news/kiwi-billionaire-brothers-dish-out-over-65m-for-scorched-malibu-lots-with-plan-to-build-prefab-homes/

Lego has unveiled Smart Bricks – tech-filled versions of its small building blocks – which it says will bring sets to life with sound, light and reaction to movement.

However, the new product range has got a mixed reaction from play experts, who say it risks undermining what makes Lego distinct for children in an increasingly digital world.

Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas, the Danish toymaker’s Smart Play system introduces new electronic components to the classic plastic blocks.

Lego says its new tech-enabled products, launching in March with a new Star Wars set, are its “most revolutionary innovation” in nearly 50 years.

But Josh Golin, executive director of children’s wellbeing group Fairplay, believes Smart Bricks could “undermine what was once great about Legos” – harnessing children’s own imagination during play.

He said the toy did not require extra features to generate sounds or other effects.

“As anyone who has ever watched a child play with old-school Legos knows, children’s Lego creations already do move and make noises through the power of children’s imaginations,” he told the BBC. ”

Andrew Manches, professor of children and technology at the University of Edinburgh, agreed the beauty of Lego lay in “the freedom to create, re-create, and adapt simple blocks into endless stories powered by children’s imagination”.

But he also welcomed Lego’s efforts to integrate physical and digital play with tools that react to the way children interact with its Smart Play products.

Julia Goldin, the company’s chief product and marketing officer, previously told the BBC it viewed digital technology as an opportunity to “expand physical play and physical building”.

“We don’t look at the digital world as a threat,” she said – adding its smart range weaves interactivity “seamlessly” with its physical products.

Tomorrowland, the hugely popular European electronic dance music or EDM festival, will stage its first-ever full-fledged Asia edition in Thailand this December.

Thailand was chosen for its “growing influence on the global stage of music, innovation, and experience-driven tourism”, Tomorrowland said on Tuesday.

Founded 20 years ago by Belgian brothers Manu and Michiel Beers, Tomorrowland has become one of the world’s most iconic celebrations of EDM. Its annual Belgian edition often features ambitious, creative stages and wild parties that draw music lovers from across the world.

Organisers are expecting more than 50,000 attendees each day in the Thai beach town Pattaya from 11 to 13 December.

Pre-registration for tickets begins on 8 January. A “full madness pass” covering all three days of the festival will cost 12,500 baht ($400; £300) while a single-day pass is going at 5,100 baht.

More details on the festival’s theme and line-up will follow soon, organisers said.

Although the Tomorrowland group has held events in some Asian cities, this is the first time it will be holding an entire festival in the continent, and one that is similar to the scale of what it does in Belgium.

Thailand finalised an agreement with Tomorrowland to host the event for five years and expects it to generate 21bn baht ($673m; £497m) over the period, Thai media reported.

“Expanding Tomorrowland to a new continent is a milestone we approach with great respect and excitement… This is the beginning of a long-term story,” said Tomorrowland’s chief executive officer Bruno Vanwelsenaers.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cql45lykx5eo

US President Donald Trump has been discussing “a range of options” to acquire Greenland, including use of the military, the White House said.

The White House told the BBC that acquiring Greenland – a semi-autonomous region of fellow Nato member Denmark – was a “national security priority”.

The statement came hours after European leaders issued a joint statement rallying behind Denmark, which has been pushing back against Trump’s ambitions for the Arctic island.

Trump repeated over the weekend that the US “needed” Greenland for security reasons, prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to warn that any attack by the US would spell the end of Nato.

The White House said on Tuesday: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the Commander-in-Chief’s disposal.”

Nato is a trans-Atlantic military group where allies are expected to go to each other’s aid in case of external attacks.

On Tuesday, six European allies expressed support for Denmark.

“Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations,” the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark said in a joint statement.

Stressing they were as keen as the US in Arctic security, the European signatories of the joint statement said this must be achieved by Nato allies, including the US “collectively”.

They also called for “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders”.

China’s top diplomat accused the U.S. of acting like a “world judge” by seizing Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro to put him on trial in New York, with Beijing later confronting Washington at the United Nations over the move’s legality.
China follows a policy of non-intervention and routinely criticises military activity conducted without the UN Security Council’s approval.

The U.S. military’s removal of the leader of one of China’s “all-weather” strategic partners from his capital in the dead of night will be a litmus test of Beijing’s assertion that it can play a role in resolving global hotspot issues without following Washington down the military route.

“We have never believed that any country can act as the world’s police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the world’s judge,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Pakistani counterpart during a meeting in Beijing on Sunday, referring to “sudden developments in Venezuela” without directly mentioning the United States.
“The sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law,” Wang added, in his first remarks since images of the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed on Saturday stunned the world.
Maduro pleaded not guilty to narcotics charges in a New York court on Monday. Just blocks away, the UN Security Council convened at Colombia’s request – backed by China and Russia – to debate U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to seize him, a move UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned could set “a dangerous precedent.”

Addressing the meeting, China expressed its shock and condemnation at the actions of the U.S., which, like China, is one of the council’s five permanent members.
“The lessons of history offer a stark warning,” said Sun Lei, the charge d’affaires of China’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. “Military means are not the solution to problems, and the indiscriminate use of force will only lead to greater crises.”
Analysts said China, the world’s second-largest economy and a leading global trading partner, would be crucial in marshalling criticism of Washington’s actions.

“There isn’t much in the way of material support that China can offer Venezuela at this time, but rhetorically, Beijing will be very important when it leads the effort at the UN and with other developing countries to rally opinion against the U.S.,” said Eric Olander, co-founder of the China-Global South Project.

“What we’ve seen in the cases of Zimbabwe and Iran, both sanctioned by the West, is that China demonstrates its commitment to these relationships through trade and investment, even under difficult circumstances,” he added.

‘A BIG BLOW FOR CHINA’

With Trump also threatening military action against Colombia and Mexico and having remarked that Cuba’s communist regime “looks like it’s ready to fall” on its own, Latin American countries that signed up to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship Global Security Initiative may now wonder how the pact will protect them if put to the test.
Xi on Monday urged all countries to abide by international law and the UN principles. He said major powers should set an example, while stopping short of naming the U.S. or Venezuela.
Beijing has had considerable success in persuading Latin American states to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, with Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras all siding with the $19 trillion economy’s talk of strategic partnership over the last 20 years.
Venezuela switched recognition in 1974, a relationship that deepened under Hugo Chavez, the socialist former soldier who took power in 1998 and became Beijing’s closest ally in Latin America, distancing his country from Washington while lauding the Chinese Communist Party’s governance model and presiding over democratic backsliding at home.
The close relationship continued after Chavez died in 2013 and Maduro became leader, even enrolling his son at the top-ranking Peking University in 2016.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-it-cannot-accept-countries-acting-world-judge-after-us-captures-2026-01-05/

President Donald Trump’s Pentagon chief announced plans on Monday to demote U.S. Senator Mark Kelly from his rank as a retired Navy captain for alleged “reckless misconduct” after he and other Democratic lawmakers urged troops to refuse any illegal orders.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon has begun proceedings that would ultimately slash Kelly’s retirement pay and attach a letter of censure to his military record. Kelly, who represents Arizona in the Senate, is a decorated military veteran and former NASA astronaut.

Kelly said he would “fight this with everything I’ve got.”
“Pete Hegseth wants to send the message to every single retired servicemember that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesn’t like, they will come after them the same way. It’s outrageous and it is wrong. There is nothing more un-American than that,” Kelly said in a statement on X.
Kelly could face additional measures in the future depending on his actions, Hegseth said in a statement on X.
The steps announced by Hegseth represent the latest actions taken by the Trump administration targeting critics of the Republican president. Democrats and other critics have accused Trump of seeking to stifle dissent.

Although extraordinary, the censure of Kelly stops short of the threat previously made by the administration to recall Kelly to active military duty status in order to prosecute him after what it described as seditious behavior.
Hegseth noted that Kelly has 30 days to respond and that the administrative process would conclude 15 days later.
“Captain Kelly’s status as a sitting United States Senator does not exempt him from accountability, and further violations could result in further action,” Hegseth wrote in his social media post.
Kelly and the other lawmakers have defended their remarks made in a November 18 video message, saying they were merely stating what U.S. law requires of troops if they are given an unlawful order.
The video message was released at a time of heightened concern among Democrats, echoed privately by some current U.S. military officials, that the administration is violating the law by ordering the U.S. military to kill suspected drug traffickers in strikes on their vessels in Latin American waters.

The Pentagon has called those strikes justified because the alleged drug smugglers are considered terrorists.
However, Hegseth said Kelly’s actions were “seditious in nature.”
Trump also has accused Kelly and the other Democrats of sedition, saying in a social media post that the crime was punishable by death. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, sedition and mutiny are among the most serious offenses and can be punishable by death.
“As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War – and the American people – expect justice,” Hegseth said, referring to the name that the administration informally has given the Department of Defense.
A formal change of the department’s name requires an act of Congress.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pentagon-demote-sen-kelly-retired-navy-rank-captain-stops-short-threatened-trial-2026-01-05/

The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of cutting the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — a move that leading medical groups said would undermine protections against a half-dozen diseases.

The change is effective immediately, meaning that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will now recommend that all children get vaccinated against 11 diseases. What’s no longer broadly recommended is protection against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis or RSV. Instead, protections against those diseases are only recommended for certain groups deemed high risk, or when doctors recommend them in what’s called “shared decision-making.”

Trump administration officials said the overhaul, a move long sought by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., won’t result in families who want the vaccines losing access to them, and said insurance will continue to pay. But medical experts said the decision creates confusion for parents and could increase preventable diseases.

States, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren. While CDC requirements often influence those state regulations, some states have begun creating their own alliances to counter the Trump administration’s guidance on vaccines.

The change comes as U.S. vaccination rates have been slipping and the share of children with exemptions has reached an all-time high, according to federal data. At the same time, rates of diseases that can be protected against with vaccines, such as measles and whooping cough, are rising across the country.

Review came at the request of President Trump

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the overhaul was in response to a request from President Donald Trump in December. Trump asked the agency to review how peer nations approach vaccine recommendations and consider revising U.S. guidance accordingly.

HHS said its comparison to 20 peer nations found that the U.S. was an “outlier” in both the number of vaccinations and the number of doses it recommended to all children. Officials with the agency framed the change as a way to increase public trust by recommending only the most important vaccinations for children to receive.

“This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health,” Kennedy said in a statement Monday.

Trump, reacting to the news on his Truth Social platform, said the new schedule is “far more reasonable” and “finally aligns the United States with other Developed Nations around the World.”

Among those left on the recommended-for-everyone list are vaccines against measles, whooping cough, polio, tetanus, chickenpox and human papillomavirus, or HPV. The guidance reduces the number of recommended vaccine doses against HPV from two or three shots depending on age to one for most children.

Medical experts said Monday’s changes without what they said was public discussion or a transparent review of the data would put children at risk.

“Abandoning recommendations for vaccines that prevent influenza, hepatitis and rotavirus, and changing the recommendation for HPV without a public process to weigh the risks and benefits, will lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children,” said Michael Osterholm of the Vaccine Integrity Project, based at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics said countries carefully consider vaccine recommendations based on levels of disease in their populations and their health systems.

“You can’t just copy and paste public health and that’s what they seem to be doing here,” said O’Leary. “Literally children’s health and children’s lives are at stake.”

Most high-income countries recommend vaccinations against a dozen to 15 serious pathogens, according to a recent review by the Vaccine Integrity Project, a group that works to safeguard vaccine use.

France today recommends all children get vaccinated against 14 diseases, compared to the 11 that the U.S. now will recommend for every child under the new schedule.

Doctors’ groups criticize decision

The changes were made by political appointees, without any evidence that the current recommendations were harming children, O’Leary said.

The pediatricians’ group has issued its own childhood vaccine schedule that its members are following, and it continues to broadly recommend vaccines that the Trump administration demoted.

O’Leary singled out the flu vaccine, which the government and leading medical experts have long urged for nearly everyone starting at age 6 months. He said the government is “pretty tone deaf” for ending its recommendation while the country is at the beginning of a severe flu season, and after 280 children died from flu last winter, the most since 2009.

Even a disease that parents may not have heard of, rotavirus, could come roaring back if vaccination erodes, he added. That diarrheal disease once hospitalized thousands of children each winter, something that no longer happens.

The decision was made without input from an advisory committee that typically consults on the vaccine schedule, said senior officials at HHS. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the changes publicly.

The officials added that the new recommendations were a collaborative effort between federal health agencies but wouldn’t specify who was consulted.

Scientists at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases were asked to present to the agency’s political leadership about vaccine schedules in other countries in December, but they were not allowed to give any recommendations and were not aware of any decisions about vaccine schedule changes, said Abby Tighe, executive director of the National Public Health Coalition, an advocacy organization of current and former CDC employees and their supporters.

“Changes of this magnitude require careful review, expert and public input, and clear scientific justification. That level of rigor and transparency was not part of this decision,” said Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, of the American Medical Association. “The scientific evidence remains unchanged, and the AMA supports continued access to childhood immunizations recommended by national medical specialty societies.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/childhood-vaccine-schedule-trump-rfk-hhs-9b8df9e2767c1261aaac4e2331e77fa3

 

The German government seems to have three things on its mind in regard to US capture of of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro: be cautious, wait-and-see and don’t upset Donald Trump.

Government spokespeople responded cautiously to journalists’ questions on Monday: For almost 40 minutes, Foreign Office spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer and government spokesman Sebastian Hille took questions on the subject of Venezuela at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin.

Why did Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) not describe last Saturday’s action by the US military as what many experts believe it was, namely a violation of international law, reporters wanted to know. On Saturday, US soldiers captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a spectacular operation in the capital Caracas and flew him to the US.

Hille read out a statement harshly criticizing Maduro: “Maduro has led his country into dangerous waters in recent years.” The statement also said that his term as president was the result of rigged elections, which is one of the reasons why Germany has never officially recognized Maduro.

The government spokesperson then stated, “The Chancellor has emphasized that everyone, including the US, must respect international law. This applies explicitly to state sovereignty and territorial integrity.” A choice of words that carefully avoided explicitly accusing the US of violating international law.

Germany’s Merz shies away from accusing US of violating international law

Over the weekend, Germany had also been part of the effort to come up with a European response and assessment of the US government’s decision to seize Maduro. The result was a statement released on Sunday and signed by 26 EU countries, but not Hungary. In the statement, EU Foreign Affairs Representative Kaja Kallas called for compliance with international law. Respecting the will of the Venezuelan people remains the only way for Venezuela to restore democracy, she added. The EU has repeatedly stated that Maduro lacks the legitimacy of a democratically elected president.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz avoided making a clear statement over the weekend. On Saturday, he wrote on X: “The legal situation regarding the US intervention is complex. We are taking our time to consider it.” He added that the principles of international law must apply to relations between states: “There cannot be political instability in Venezuela now. It is important to ensure an orderly transition to a government legitimized by elections.”

On Monday morning, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul felt compelled to once again come to the chancellor’s defense. Speaking on Deutschlandfunk public radio before a trip to Lithuania, Wadephul said: “Maduro led an unjust regime; eight million people have left the country. There are political prisoners.”

He added that the United Nations had described the human rights situation in Venezuela as very critical and that proceedings were underway against Venezuela at the International Criminal Court. Wadephul said Maduro is not the legitimately elected president of the country and that the geopolitical interests of the US also played a role in the attack.

Germany’s left-leaning politicians are critical

This statement was criticized as too weak by several German opposition politicians, who described the military action that ultimately brought Maduro to New York as a clear violation of international law. Katharina Dröge, parliamentary leader of the Green Party , said over the weekend: “The US intervention is a violation of international law. What is stopping the Chancellor from stating this clearly?”

She added: “In this situation, keeping a low profile is a disastrous strategy, Mr. Merz.”

Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, who also co-chairs the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), stated at the weekend: “The events in Venezuela are very worrying. The Venezuelan ruler Maduro has led an authoritarian regime that has clung to power through violence and oppression.”

“However, this cannot be a justification for disregarding international law,” Klingbeil added.

The far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has hailed US action in Venezuela as part of a necessary “realignment of global politics.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/venezuela-germany-hesitates-to-condemn-us-attack/a-75399144

SCARY Movie star and bodybuilder Jayne Trcka has died at 62.

The athlete, who portrayed Miss Mann in the original Scary Movie film, passed away on December 12 in San Diego, California.

“There was trauma to the body, but we wouldn’t be able to indicate cause of death at this time,” a San Diego Medical Examiner spokesperson exclusively revealed to The U.S. Sun about the star’s sudden passing.

TMZ was first to report the news and noted that Jayne’s son wasn’t privy to any medical conditions or illnesses the actress had that could’ve caused her death.

Scary Movie, which premiered in 2000, was Jayne’s first acting role.

She was notable in the bodybuilding world after competing in many shows in the 1980s.

Jayne later starred on The Drew Carey Show and Whose Line is it Anyway?

She also appeared in a string of fitness magazines, such as Flex, MuscleMag International, and Women’s Physique World.

The TV star most recently worked as a realtor, according to a San Diego real estate agency’s website.

Scary Movie was the first parody film in the franchise, starring Anna Faris, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Regina Hall, and Carmen Electra.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15735893/scary-movie-jayne-trcka-dead/

South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung has called for a “new phase” in ties with China as he met its leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday.

Regional security and lifting Beijing’s unofficial ban on Korean pop culture is high on Lee’s agenda, as he continues his four-day trip in China. He is set to meet China’s Premier Li Qiang and the chairman of parliament, Zhao Leji on Tuesday.

It marks the first visit by a South Korean leader since 2019. Bilateral ties had soured under Lee’s predecessor, impeached ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was very critical of China.

Xi, meanwhile, has appeared keen to shore up ties with South Korea amid a diplomatic row between China and Japan.

South Korea is a US security ally – like Japan – but also relies on China for trade. Experts say Lee is expected to keep walking a diplomatic tightrope between Beijing and Tokyo.

The visit marks the second time the two leaders have met since November when Xi visited South Korea for a regional economic summit.

On Monday Lee stated that the visit was “a crucial opportunity” for the “full-scale restoration of South Korea-China relations”, reported South Korean newspaper Chosun. “We want to usher in a new phase in the development of South Korea-China relations.”

Government officials and companies from both countries signed a series of cooperation agreements on technology, trade and environment.

Lee also took selfies with Xi, using a Xiaomi phone that the Chinese president had gifted him last year.

“The image quality is certainly good, right?” Lee posted on X along with the photos.

Later, at a banquet for Lee in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Xi urged the South Korean leader noted that the “international situation is becoming more turbulent and complex”.

The dinner followed the US’s capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.

Xi urged Lee to “firmly stand on the right side of history and make correct strategic choices”, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported.

He also brought up the two countries’ shared history of resisting Japan militarism, saying that China and South Korea should now “work hand in hand to safeguard the outcomes of the victory of World War Two and uphold peace and stability in Northeast Asia”.

Xi’s eagerness to meet Lee signals the pressure he faces in finding a regional ally, Park Seung-chan, professor of China studies at Yongin University told the BBC.

“China may beat around the bush but its demand is clear: side with China and denounce Japan.”

During his four-day trip to China, Lee is expected to hold a memorial service in Shanghai for activists who fought for Korea’s independence from Japan.

But while South Korea is “still showing all its deference towards China”, it wants to “strengthen its relationships with both Japan and China”, Mr Park said.

Lee is reportedly planning to visit Japan later this month to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

The Japanese leader has come under fire from Beijing for suggesting in parliament that Tokyo could respond with its own self-defence forces in case of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, the self-governed island that China claims as its territory.

Security on the Korean Peninsula has also been part of the discussions.

Lee has sought to engage North Korea diplomatically, but there has been little progress so far.

He needs Chinese cooperation in pressuring the North’s Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons. Beijing is one of Pyongyang’s biggest supporters, economically and diplomatically.

Lee vowed on Monday to work with China on “viable alternatives for peace on the Korean Peninsula”.

On Sunday Seoul’s military said Pyongyang fired ballistic missiles off its east coast. And on Monday the North’s state news agency said the country test-fired hypersonic missiles to assess deterrence capabilities following recent developments, in an apparent reference to the US’s seizure of Maduro.

It remains unclear how much Lee will be able to push China on North Korea. In September, Xi had pledged to strengthen Beijing’s “traditional friendship” with Pyongyang.

And Seoul and Beijing are not natural allies.

US troops have been stationed in South Korea for decades in case of an attack from the North, and last year the two sides agreed to cooperate on building nuclear-powered submarines. The announcement drew warnings from China.

Lee has also sought to put a stop to China’s build-up of maritime structures in waters between the two countries. Beijing says the structures are fish-farming equipment, but they have sparked security concerns in Seoul.

The two leaders agreed on Monday to continue “constructive” dialogue on the matter, South Korea’s presidential spokesperson said.

Another item high on Lee’s agenda is China’s unofficial restrictions on South Korean music and dramas that have been in place for a decade. K-pop and K-dramas are either unavailable or difficult to access on Chinese media platforms.

While China has never acknowledged a ban on Korean artists, it’s believed to be a protest against South Korea’s decision to deploy a US anti-missile system in 2016, which China sees as a threat to its military operations in the region.

China is a massive market for Korean entertainment, which is already a huge global success.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70lw9x581no

“Until a few years ago, the butterfly pea flower was just another climbing plant in my village,” says Nilam Brahma who lives in Anthaigwlao, a village in the northeastern Indian state of Assam.

Butterfly pea, also known as aparajita in India, grows as a vine and has a striking blue flower.

Around two years ago, Brahma heard that local women were making money selling the flowers, which can be made into tea, or a blue dye.

She decided to join them.

“The results surprised even me. The first time I earned $50 (£37) from selling dried flowers, I felt a shock. It made me believe I could control my own future,” she says.

The experiment led to a small business.

“I applied for a small loan and invested in solar dryers. The machines helped me dry flowers faster, preserve their colour, and meet the quality standards demanded by buyers.”

Thailand and Indonesia have been the leading growers and consumers of butterfly pea flowers. But there’s growing global demand for the flower, which is attracting entrepreneurs in India.

“The global demand for natural colourants is exploding,” explains Varshika Reddy, the founder of THS Impex, which exports natural dyes and additives.

Behind that demand is consumer appetite for natural ingredients and tighter controls in the US and Europe on synthetic food dyes.

In 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved butterfly pea flower as a food additive.

However, in 2022 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) raised safety concerns about using the flower.

Both the EU and the UK classify butterfly pea flower as a “novel” food, meaning it still needs approval for widespread use.

Nevertheless, Indian entrepreneurs still see potential and want to develop India’s market.

“The crop is still seen as a backyard ornamental or medicinal plant rather than a commercial commodity,” says Reddy. “There is no structured market awareness, no government classification, and no standard pricing mechanism, making farmers uncertain about returns.”

She is working with farmers to raise production standards.

“We work with a dedicated cluster of farmers and their families in Uttar Pradesh, including a significant number of women farmers.

“We have established formal contracts… we provide comprehensive agronomy support, including guidance on best farming practices, irrigation management, and crop-specific techniques,” she says.

Others in India have spotted the commercial opportunity.

“When you infuse the flower in hot water, it turns blue, and when you squeeze lemon into it, it turns purple. That felt magical,” says Nitesh Singh, who is based just outside Delhi.

Like Reddy, he thought that the flower had much more potential in India.

“It was here for thousands of years, but nobody knew it could become clean, healthy food,” adds Singh.

So, in 2018 he founded Blue Tea, hoping to grow an Indian brand, with Indian butterfly peas. To start with, it did not go well.

“Initially, we had to import because we couldn’t find good quality flowers in India. The flowers here had fewer petals, and once sun-dried, nothing would remain. We needed a flower with more pigment, more petals, to retain colour after drying.”

Over the past seven years, Singh has been working with farmers to raise the quantity and quality.

Having started with five farmers, he now works with 600 across the country.

“Training and quality control are the biggest challenges,” he says.

Plucking the flowers is a key part of the process. It’s a job that is predominantly done by women.

“Their hands are softer, and they instinctively know how to pluck delicate flowers without damaging the plant. So, women are trained in how to identify the flower for plucking,” says Singh.

Once harvested, the flowers have to be dried, which also has to be done with care.

“Temperature control is extremely important for drying this flower – one mistake and you lose its value,” he says.

Farmers do some of the drying before the flowers arrive at Blue Tea, where the moisture is checked and further drying is done.

“We use very mild temperatures for a longer time. If the heat is too high, the flower burns and you lose its medicinal quality and colour,” says Singh.

As well as the eye-catching colour, there is some evidence that butterfly pea flowers have health benefits. But more research needs to be done.

“When we began reviewing literature, we realised hardly any studies had focused on butterfly pea, despite its strong functional and herbal properties. Most of the available research involved rats and mice,” says V Supriya, assistant professor, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research in Chennai.

She ran a small study on people who were pre-diabetic, and found that those who consumed tea made with butterfly pea flowers, showed better sugar control, than those that didn’t.

“Butterfly pea was largely overlooked. But with evidence now emerging – especially from human trials – its health benefits may make it very popular,” says Supriya.

Pushpal Biswas owns a small farm in west Bengal, and was introduced to butterfly pea by Blue Tea.

“I used to grow rice and vegetables. But many a time I was not able to sell my produce and faced loses,” he says.

But everything has changed over the past seven years, thanks to the new crop.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyxln49760o

Nvidia boss Jensen Huang on Monday announced Alpamayo, a tech platform the company says will help self-driving cars think like humans.

“Alpamayo brings reasoning to autonomous vehicles, allowing them to think through rare scenarios, drive safely in complex environments, and explain their driving decisions,” Huang said on stage at the annual CES technology conference in Las Vegas.

Huang also said Nvidia has begun producing a driverless car powered by its technology, the Mercedes-Benz CLA, in partnership with the German automaker.

The vehicle will be released in the US in the coming months before being rolled out in Europe and Asia.

Wearing his trademark black leather jacket, Huang told an audience of hundreds that the project has taught Nvidia “an enormous amount” about how to help partners build robotic systems.

Analysts say the announcement reinforces Nvidia’s leadership in integrating AI hardware and software, deepening its push into physical AI.

“NVIDIA’s pivot toward AI at scale and AI systems as differentiators will help keep it way ahead of rivals,” said Paolo Pescatore, analyst at PP Foresight, from Las Vegas.

“Alpamayo represents a profound shift for NVIDIA, moving from being primarily a compute to a platform provider for physical AI ecosystems.”

Shares of the AI chip designer rose slightly in after-hours trading following Huang’s presentation.

It featured a video demonstration of the AI-powered Mercedes-Benz driving through San Francisco while a passenger, sat behind the steering wheel, kept their hands in their lap.

“It drives so naturally because it learned directly from human demonstrators,” Huang said, “but in every single scenario… it tells you what it’s going to do, and it reasons about what it’s about to do.”

Alpamayo is an open-source AI model, with the underlying code now available on machine learning platform Hugging Face, where autonomous vehicle researchers can access it for free and retrain the model, Huang said.

“Our vision is that someday, every single car, every single truck, will be autonomous,” he told the audience.

The project could pose a threat to companies like Elon Musk’s Tesla, which offers driver assistance software called Autopilot.

“Well that’s just exactly what Tesla is doing,” Musk posted on social media following the Alpamayo announcement. “What they will find is that it’s easy to get to 99% and then super hard to solve the long tail of the distribution.”

Like Tesla, Nvidia also has plans to launch a robotaxi service by next year in collaboration with a partner, but has declined to name the partner or say where it will be.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0jv1vd571wo

An earthquake with ⁠a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 hit the western Chugoku region of Japan on Tuesday (Jan 6), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, followed by a series of sizeable ‍aftershocks.

The tremor was recorded at 9.18am local time in Shimane prefecture, JMA said.

The same region was hit soon afterwards by smaller quakes with magnitudes of 4.5, 5.1, 3.8 and 5.4, with no tsunami alerts issued.

There were no reports of any major damage.

Chugoku Electric Power operates the Shimane Nuclear Power Station, about 32km away from the first earthquake’s epicentre.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said there were no irregularities at the plant.

A spokesperson said the ‌utility was checking on any impact on the plant’s No 2 unit, ‍which ‌has been operating since December 2024 after being shut down following the March 2011 disasters in Fukushima.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the ‌world’s most seismically active areas.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/japan-earthquake-chugoku-shinkansen-operations-suspended-5812311

Millions of informal workers in India are heavily dependent on app-based platforms, with their livelihoods on the line as they negotiate the country’s gig economy.

Raju Kumar works as a delivery worker for Zomato, a leading Indian online food ordering platform, in India’s capital New Delhi.

The 27-year-old says he puts in close to 10 hours every day, navigating the city’s traffic jams to deliver orders to customers’ doorsteps. He is forced to race congested streets in a constant battle to complete the delivery on time, and is doing his best to avoid any complaints from customers.

Kumar earns about 700 to 900 rupees (€6.63-€8.52 or $7.75-$9.97) daily from the gig work.

“But there is no job security here,” he told DW.

“All it requires is one customer complaint or a random ID block, and I am out without notice or savings,” Kumar added, referring to a practice by platforms like Zomato and Uber where they cut off a worker’s account.

This could be motivated by a drop in customers’ ratings or by employees violating company policy, but it could also be due to a simple glitch.

Kumar said his account was deactivated for a week last month due to an algorithmic issue, hurting his income and leaving him unable to pay his rent.

In the western Indian city of Mumbai, the country’s business hub, 31-year-old Santosh Pawar is a gig worker employed by Blinkit, a firm focused on delivering groceries. He is also forced to race through the Indian metropolis to meet the company’s ten-minute delivery deadlines.

Workers say these ten-minute deliveries pose personal safety risks.

“Last month, I slipped on a waterlogged road and fractured my wrist. The platform offered nothing. There was neither compensation nor medical support… just a message asking when I would be back online,” Pawar told DW.

He continued working despite the pain.

“If I do not deliver, we don’t eat,” said Pawar.

Millions engaged in ‘endless hustle’ for India’s gig economy

Women, who form a growing segment of India’s gig workforce, face the same challenges.

“Our future looks shaky and uncertain. There is no steady work, just endless hustle and family worries,” said Priya Sharma, a gig worker in the beauty services sector in New Delhi. “Every canceled order chips away at our dreams. There is no safety net for tomorrow.”

So far, India gig economy is growing by absorbing surplus labor from agriculture and other informal sectors.

The NITI Aayog, a premier Indian government think tank, released a policy brief in 2022 hailing the gig and platform economy as a vital job engine fueled by the rise of digital platforms, widespread use of smartphones and an increasing demand for flexible jobs, among other reasons.

It projects the gig workforce in the world’s most populous nation to jump from 7.7 million in 2020-21 to about 23.5 million in 2029-30.

Mounting anger and frustration

As the number of gig workers rises, anger and frustration are also mounting over work conditions.

Platforms, for instance, have the power to arbitrarily suspend accounts without explanation, cutting off workers’ income. When gig employees fall sick or get injured on the job, there is often no insurance or paid leave.

This leaves workers bearing all the risks with platforms firmly in control.

Against this backdrop, some labor groups organized a strike on New Year’s Eve, one of the busiest times of the year for deliveries.

They demanded a minimum monthly income for every gig worker, ranging between 24,000 and 40,000 rupees (€227 to €380), transparent payment systems, and an end to arbitrary account suspensions.

“Our mission is to challenge the perception of gig workers as merely temporary labor. Instead, we aim to bring them into a united labor movement where their work is recognized with dignity, and they are provided with equal opportunities in a safe and secure working environment,” Sanjay Gaba, president of the All-India Gig and Platform Workers Union (AIGPWU), told DW.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/india-gig-workers-fight-for-fair-treatment-and-benefits/a-75397994

Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a stark warning to Donald Trump after the capture of Nicolas Maduro sent shockwaves around the world.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a stark three-word warning to President Donald Trump amid ramped-up attacks against alleged drug trafficking in Latin America: “Come get me!”

“Come get me,” Petro said. “I’m waiting for you here. Don’t threaten me, I’ll wait for you right here if you want to.”

He continued, “I don’t accept invasions, missiles, or assassinations, only intel. Come speak here with intelligence, and we’ll receive you and talk face-to-face with facts, not lies. Stop getting lied to by Colombian political mafias who condemned us to 700,00 deaths and made us the world’s most unequal country.”

It comes after Trump appeared to hint at a possible military operation in Colombia, with a brutal two-word comment about the country’s “sick” leader who allegedly peddles cocaine to Americans.

The statement was made just one day after the U.S. executed a special forces raid in Venezuela, resulting in the capture of both Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, over alleged drug trafficking charges.

Maduro is sitting for his first hearing Monday morning in a Manhattan federal court, where police had to break up a brawl among protestors outside the courtroom.

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Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro appears to taunt U.S. President Donald Trump, saying, “Come get me, coward! I’m waiting for you here.” pic.twitter.com/Qk3MfsfsqO

— Geo View (@theGeoView) January 5, 2026

Following Maduro and Flores’ arrest and extradition to New York City, Trump issued threats of military intervention to other South American countries, including Colombia, Cuba and Mexico, unless changes were made to address drug trafficking crime.

“He’s making cocaine,” Trump said Saturday of Petro, repeating his previous claims. “They’re sending it into the United States. So he does have to watch his a–.”

Critics questioned why Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted for drug trafficking and sentenced to 45 years in U.S. prison, days prior to Maduro’s capture.

At a press conference on Saturday, Trump was pressed on the pardon. He said Hernandez was “persecuted very unfairly.”

Trump suggested following Maduro’s arrest that the U.S. would “takeover” Venezuela amid transition, controlling its lucrative oil industry, which he made clear was one of the core objects of the military operations.

“The oil companies are going to go in and rebuild their system,” Trump said Sunday night. “It was the greatest theft in the history of America.

Source : https://www.the-express.com/news/world-news/195133/colombia-petro-trump-maduro-taunt

 

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday again condemned the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, criticizing the Trump administration’s aggressive foreign policy in Latin America for threatening the stability of the hemisphere.

“We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries,” Sheinbaum said in her daily news conference. “The history of Latin America is clear and compelling: Intervention has never brought democracy, has never generated well-being or lasting stability.”

“Unilateral action and invasion cannot be the basis of international relations in the 21st century,” she said. “They don’t lead to peace or development.”

Her comments came as Trump on Sunday threatened more military strikes on Venezuela — and raised the possibility of intervention in Mexico as well as in Cuba, Colombia and the Danish territory of Greenland. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said drugs were “pouring” through Mexico and that “we’re going to have to do something.”

He has been threatening action against cartels for months, with some members of his administration suggesting that the U.S. may soon carry out drone strikes on drug laboratories and other targets inside Mexican territory. Sheinbaum has repeatedly said such strikes would be a clear violation of Mexican sovereignty.

“Sovereignty and the self-determination of peoples are non-negotiable,” she said. “They are fundamental principles of international law and must always be respected without exception.”

Sheinbaum is part of a bloc of leftist Latin American leaders who have spoken out forcefully against the U.S. after its surprise attack on Caracas on Saturday morning. U.S. special forces abducted Maduro, Venezuela’s leftist president, and his wife, Cilia Flores, the former head of the National Assembly.

Venezuela says at least 40 people were killed in the attack. The couple have been indicted in New York’s Southern District on drug trafficking charges.

Right-wing leaders in the region, on the other hand, have cheered the removal of Maduro from power.

At her news conference on Monday, Sheinbaum called for cooperation among countries in the region, at one point quoting Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

“Washington called for good faith and justice toward all nations, and for the cultivation of peace and harmony among all,” she said.

Nations cannot impose their wills on other countries, she said, and do not have the right to their resources. That was a clear reference to Trump’s stated desire to exploit Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.

“Only the people can build their own future, decide their path, exercise sovereignty over their natural resources, and freely define their form of government,” she said. “Each nation has the inalienable right to decide its political, economic, and social model, free from external pressure.”

Sheinbaum warned that infighting among Latin American nations would hurt the region economically.

Source : https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ar-AA1TCJVD

Sporadic protests that started with economic woes have evolved into political ones as they spread into different cities.

Sporadic protests broke out in the Iranian capital and other cities, according to local media, which also reported intensifying clashes in the west of the country.

The demonstrations first kicked off last Sunday when shopkeepers staged a strike over economic concerns, but have since spread in size and scope, with protesters making political demands.

Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said that Khamenei stated the ongoing protests in Iran are yet to be called nationwide, adding that they are not gaining rapid momentum.

“From time to time and sporadically we witness protests, such as last night in Tehran, Kazerun and other cities,” he said, adding that 14 people, including security forces, have been killed since the demonstrations started.

“There might be further escalations if the government cannot come up with concrete and practical actions.”

Protests Saturday evening in Tehran were described as “limited” by the Fars news agency, which said they were “generally made up of groups of 50 to 200 young people”.

Tehran’s population is about 10 million.

Demonstrations were reported in the districts of Novobat and Tehran Pars in the capital’s east; Ekteban, Sadeghieh and Sattarkhan in the west; and Naziabad and Abdolabad in the south, Fars said.

Riots reported in Malekshahi

Demonstrators shouted slogans including “death to the dictator”, Fars said, though no major incidents were reported beyond some stone throwing and rubbish bins being set alight.

The news agency said the situation in Tehran “contrasted with an intensification of violence and organised attacks in other regions, notably the country’s west”.

In Malekshahi, a county of about 20,000 residents including a sizeable Kurdish population, a member of the security forces was killed in clashes, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

“Rioters attempted to storm a police station,” Fars said, adding that “two assailants were killed”.

Local media’s accounting of the protests is not exhaustive, and state-run outlets have downplayed their coverage of the demonstrations, while videos flooding social media are often impossible to verify.

On Saturday, Iranian Supreme Leader sent a strong message to rioters in his first remarks on the demonstrations.

“We talk to protesters, the officials must talk to them,” Khamenei said on Saturday.

“But there is no benefit to talking to rioters. Rioters must be put in their place.”

Al Jazeera’s Asadi said that Khamenei ‘s recent statement recognised the economic problems the country is facing.

Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/4/sporadic-protests-in-tehran-as-clashes-reported-in-irans-west

 

Sarat Mani Chakraborty was reportedly attacked with sharp weapons in the Narsingdi district at around 10 pm on Monday.

A 40-year-old Hindu man has been killed in Bangladesh, in what is a second such incident in the last 24 hours in the country. Sarat Mani Chakraborty, a grocery store owner, was reportedly attacked with sharp weapons in the Narsingdi district at around 10 pm on Monday. He later died of his injuries.

Hours before he was killed, a 45-year-old factory owner was shot dead in the Jashore district. Rana Pratap, who was also the acting editor of a newspaper, was shot in the head by a group of men, who also slit his throat. Local sources alleged that he had multiple cases filed against him.

Pratap, the son of a schoolteacher from the neighbouring Keshabpur sub-district, had been running an ice factory in Kopalia Bazar for two years. On Monday evening, some men called him out of the ice factory, led him to an alley, and shot him. Seven bullet casings were found beside Pratap’s body.

A local resident said that the attackers arrived on a motorcycle and had an argument with Pratap, fired several rounds at his head and fled.

A police officer said Pratap was shot three times in the head.

“We are investigating who was involved,” he said.

Attack On Hindus In Bangladesh

Monday’s killings mark the latest in a series of violent incidents against minorities in Bangladesh, especially Hindus, who constitute about 7 per cent of the total population.

On Saturday, a Hindu woman in Jhenaidah district was raped by two men, who also demanded money from her. When she screamed, they tied her to a tree, cut off her hair, recorded the act, and circulated videos on social media. The woman fell unconscious and was taken to a hospital by local residents.

Days before that, Khokon Chandra Das, 50, was brutally attacked and set on fire. He ran a medicine and mobile banking business in his village, 150 km from the national capital, Dhaka.

The attack happened on his way home after closing his shop last Wednesday. He managed to jump into a pond, which helped put out the flames that nearly engulfed his head and face. The attackers fled after that. He died in the hospital on January 3.

Bajendra Biswas, another Hindu man, was shot dead in Mymensingh on December 29. Forty-year-old Biswas was killed while on duty at a garment factory by a colleague in Bhaluka.

He was a member of Ansar Bahini, a paramilitary auxiliary force under Bangladesh’s Ministry of Home Affairs, responsible for internal security and law enforcement in the country. He was killed by his colleague, Noman Mia.

On December 24, a 29-year-old Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was lynched over alleged extortion in Rajbari.

On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das, 29, was lynched by a mob, and his body was set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh.

The lynching of Das, who worked in a factory, drew the world’s attention to the killing of Hindus in Bangladesh administered by US-returned Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/hindu-man-killed-in-bangladesh-2nd-such-incident-in-24-hours-10373025?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Nikitha Godishala was found dead at Arjun Sharma’s US residence. Arjun allegedly withdrew USD 3,500 from her account before fleeing to India, where he was arrested by Interpol.

The sister of 27-year-old Telugu woman, Nikitha Godishala, who was found dead at her ex-boyfriend’s residence in the United States, has alleged that the accused carried out unauthorised financial transactions amounting to about USD 3,500 (approximately Rs 3.16 lakh) from the deceased’s bank account before fleeing the country after her death.

The accused boyfriend, Arjun Sharma, was arrested by Interpol in Tamil Nadu on Monday after returning to India. The arrest followed coordinated efforts between US federal agencies and Indian authorities to track him after his departure from the United States.

In a complaint submitted to the Indian Embassy in the US, Nikitha’s sister Saraswati detailed the transactions, stating that the money was withdrawn by Arjun in the days leading up to Nikitha’s murder, India Today reported.

Saraswati said that on December 27, Arjun sought money from both her and Nikitha. She added that Nikitha later approached her on Arjun’s behalf, requesting assistance of around USD 5,000. The victim’s sister said she refused a subsequent request from Arjun for an additional USD 1,000, noting that he had not returned USD 1,000 from the USD 4,500 he had earlier borrowed from her.

According to her complaint, Arjun owed a total of USD 4,500 (approximately Rs 4.07 lakh) to Nikitha’s family.

“I sent him USD 4,500, out of which he returned USD 3,500. I was contacted by Arjun on Jan 2nd and requested me for additional USD 1,000 to which I denied,” Saraswati stated in her complaint.

‘Accused Was Not Nikitha’s Ex-Boyfriend’: Victim’s Father

Meanwhile, the victim’s father, Anand Godisala, denied that the accused was her daughter’s ex-boyfriend, stating he was only a former roommate. “He (Arjun Sharma) is a former roommate and not her ex-boyfriend. He reportedly made the complaint (to the police in US) and fled to India. He should be caught and given tough punishment,” Anand told PTI.

The grieving father demanded strict punishment for those responsible for his daughter’s death. Seeking the Centre’s and Telangana government’s help to repatriate her remains, Anand said Nikitha last spoke to him on December 31 to wish him for New Year.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/nikitha-godishala-murder-ex-lover-looted-lakhs-from-her-before-fleeing-us-sister-alleges-ws-l-9811947.html

Heavy gunfire was reported near Venezuela’s presidential palace in Caracas after security forces opened fire in response to unidentified drones flying over the complex.

Heavy gunfire and reports of possible drone activity near Venezuela’s presidential palace triggered fresh security concerns in Caracas early on Tuesday, as the country remains on edge following the US-led operation that resulted in the capture and removal of President Nicolas Maduro.

According to witnesses cited by AFP, shots were fired near the Miraflores presidential palace in central Caracas around 8.00 pm local time (0000 GMT).

BNO News quoted the White House as saying that the US was “not involved” in the commotion reported from near Venezuela’s presidential palace.

A source close to the government told AFP that unidentified drones were seen flying over the palace complex, prompting security forces to open fire in response.

The source said the situation was later brought under control, though no immediate details were provided on damage or casualties.

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BREAKING: Small arms or anti-aircraft fire heard in Caracas, Venezuela pic.twitter.com/rBNRrNfN4l

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) January 6, 2026

BNO News, meanwhile, reported that heavy gunfire was heard across parts of Caracas over a period of roughly 45 minutes, including areas close to the presidential palace.

It added that residents also reported possible drone or aircraft noises during the incident and that some neighbourhoods experienced power outages.

There was no immediate explanation on the cause of the gunfire or the reported aerial activity.

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BREAKING: Heavy gunfire near Venezuela’s presidential palace, circumstances unclear pic.twitter.com/rO9y01mQAq

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) January 6, 2026

A video also showed armed men running the streets of Caracas.

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🚨 BREAKING: Armed men seen running the streets of Caracas, Venezuela near the presidential palace amid heavy gunfire all around

Something is going down 👀 pic.twitter.com/r7tYfUrnpt

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 6, 2026

The development comes amid heightened political and security tensions in the Venezuelan capital, soon after Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim President following the capture of Maduro.

Rodriguez, a key ally of Maduro, assumed office after Maduro was captured by US military forces during a weekend raid and transferred to the United States.

Earlier on Monday, the Venezuelan government published a decree declaring a State of External Commotion, granting sweeping powers to the presidency and directing security forces to take action against individuals accused of supporting the US operation, CNN reported.

The decree instructs national, state and municipal police agencies to “immediately undertake the search and capture throughout the national territory of any person involved in the promotion or support” of what it describes as an armed attack by the United States against Venezuela.

According to CNN, the decree was dated Saturday and signed by Maduro on the same day he was captured by US forces.

It was later endorsed by interim president Rodriguez. While the decree had originally been drafted and announced in late September, weeks after the US began deploying naval assets in the Caribbean, its contents were not made public at the time and were subsequently updated to reflect developments over the weekend, CNN reported.

The measure carries the force of law for an initial period of 90 days, with the option of a further 90-day extension.

Under Venezuela’s Constitution, a declaration of this kind allows the President to exercise near-total authority over political, economic and social matters in cases of conflict that seriously endanger national security, citizens or state institutions.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/caracas-venezuela-presidential-palace-heavy-gunshots-drone-aircraft-sounds-heard-videos-nicolas-maduro-capture-us-venezuela-raid-9811940.html

 

Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison, only to be pardoned later by the US President.

Before deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was brought to the United States to face drug-trafficking charges, another leader had already stood trial in a US court for similar crimes. The outcome, however, could not have been more different.

Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison, only to be pardoned later by US President Donald Trump. Maduro, by contrast, is being treated as an international criminal to be tried in an American court.

Trump granted Hernandez a pardon in December, describing him as a victim of political persecution. At the time, Trump said the former Honduran leader had been “treated very harshly and unfairly”.

Asked later about the contrast between the pardon and the operation against Maduro, Trump said Hernandez’s case reminded him of his own legal troubles.“The man that I pardoned was, if you could equate it to us, he was treated like the Biden administration treated a man named Trump. This was a man who was persecuted very unfairly. He was the head of the country,” the US president said.

Trump has repeatedly argued that Hernandez was targeted because of his position as president and claimed the prosecution was politically motivated.

Criticising Trump for dual standards, Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote on X, “If the President grounds his actions on the basis of drug trafficking charges, it is entirely hypocritical in light of his recent pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez who was responsible for bringing more than 400 tons of cocaine in the United States in order to ‘shove the drugs right up the noses of the gringos.’”

“The Administration says Maduro will be tried for drug trafficking in a US court – but Hernandez was convicted of the same crime by an American jury and Trump pardoned him,” she added.

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Venezuela is ruled by an illegitimate regime, but the Administration has not made the case that an urgent threat to America’s national security existed to justify the use of U.S. military force.

President Trump has made no secret of his intentions to effectively abolish the…

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 3, 2026

Hernandez And Maduro: Similarities

Both the Hernandez and Maduro cases trace back to Drug Enforcement Administration investigations that began around 2010. The probes were handled by the same DEA unit and overseen by the same investigative team in the Southern District of the United States.

What Were The Charges Against Hernandez?

Hernandez was arrested shortly after leaving office in 2022 and extradited to the US to face drug-trafficking and weapons charges. Federal prosecutors accused him of accepting a $1 million bribe from drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman during his first presidential campaign.

In return, prosecutors said, Hernandez helped protect cocaine routes through Honduras.

Hernandez’s trial in 2024 lasted three weeks. Prosecutors said that he played a central role in an 18-year drug-trafficking network that moved more than 400 tonnes of cocaine into the United States.

They said he allowed traffickers armed with machine guns and grenade launchers to operate freely, while receiving millions of dollars to fund his political campaigns. Multiple state institutions, including the Honduran National Police, were accused of protecting drug shipments moving through the country. Prosecutors alleged that Hernandez transformed Honduras into a “narco-state”.

Hernandez denied the charges and said he was the victim of political persecution.

From Convicted Felon To Victim Of ‘Biden Setup’: How Hernandez Gained Trump’s Support

US media outlet Axios later reported that Hernandez wrote a four-page letter to Trump in October, praising him and asking for a review of his case “in the interest of justice”. The outlet also reported that longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone told the president that a pardon could boost Honduras’ National Party ahead of elections. Trump later said he believed the prosecution “was a Biden setup”. The pardon was so sudden that some of Trump’s aides, including his Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, were also blindsided, The Wall Street Journal reported.

“Well, he was the president, and they had some drugs being sold in their country, and because he was the president, they went after him… that was a Biden horrible witch hunt,” Trump told reporters.

What Are The Charges Against Maduro?

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a stunning US commando raid in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, on Saturday. “Operation Absolute Resolve”, which took months of meticulous planning, killed at least 40 in Venezuela, The New York Times reported.

The couple was brought to a federal courthouse in Manhattan on Monday ahead of their arraignment. They face charges including narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine, according to an unsealed indictment.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/nicolas-maduro-trial-juan-orlando-hernandez-donald-trump-us-venezuela-updates-drug-trafficking-10351301?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

 

Asked who is ultimately in charge of Venezuela, Trump gave a one-word answer: “Me.”

US President Donald Trump said the United States is not at war with Venezuela and will not push for elections there in the near term, days after US forces captured the now-deposed president, Nicolas Maduro, in a military raid. Trump argued that the South American country must first be stabilised and its infrastructure rebuilt following the capture of Maduro.

Speaking to NBC News, Trump said conditions on the ground made voting in Venezuela unrealistic in the next 30 days. “We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election if people can’t even vote,” Trump said.

Oil Money Proposal 

He claimed Washington will focus on restoring basic order and rebuilding the economy in the country first, and the “US oil companies” could play a central role in rebuilding Venezuela’s energy infrastructure.

“We have to nurse the country back to health,” he said, adding that the transition could take less than 18 months. Trump said the United States may subsidise part of the effort but insisted that oil companies would ultimately bear the costs and recover their investments.

“A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent, and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue,” Trump said.

Not At War

The Republican leader rejected claims that the United States is engaged in a war with Venezuela. “No, we’re not,” he said. “We’re at war with people who sell drugs. We’re at war with people who empty their prisons into our country and empty their drug addicts and empty their mental institutions into our country.”

He said responsibility for Venezuela’s collapse lay with its leadership, which he accused of exporting crime and instability.

Maduro was seized during a US raid in Caracas and later arraigned in New York on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy. Trump said interim President Delcy Rodriguez has been cooperating with US officials but denied there was any communication between Washington and her camp before Maduro’s removal.

“No, that’s not the case,” Trump said, adding that a determination would soon be made on whether sanctions against Rodríguez would remain in place.

Trump “In-Charge” Of Venezuela

Asked who is ultimately in charge of Venezuela, Trump gave a one-word answer: “Me.”

Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been deeply involved in communications with Venezuela’s leadership, noting that Rubio “speaks to her fluently in Spanish” and that their “relationship has been very strong.” He also said the United States is prepared to launch a second military incursion if cooperation breaks down, though he said he does not believe that will be necessary. “We’re prepared to do it,” he said. “We anticipated doing it, actually.”

Trump dismissed criticism that he failed to seek congressional approval for the operation, saying lawmakers were aware of US actions. “We have good support congressionally,” he said, declining to elaborate on who knew what and when.

Shots Fired Near Venezuela’s Presidential Palace

Shots were fired late on Monday near Venezuela’s presidential palace. Quoting a source, news agency AFP reported that the situation was under control.

A video posted on social media shows what appear to be tracer bullets fired into the sky. The video showed many security force members rushing to the palace after the shots.

Unidentified drones flew over the Miraflores Palace in central Caracas, and security forces opened fire in response around 8:00 pm (0000 GMT), the source said, hours after Maduro’s deputy Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim president following his removal.

Bursts of gunfire rang out, but not as strongly as in the pre-dawn attack on Saturday that toppled Maduro, according to a person who lives five blocks from the palace, who said the incident lasted about a minute.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-reveals-his-plan-for-venezuelas-future-oil-election-and-in-charge-10373906?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

All 40 people who died in the New Year’s Eve bar fire in Switzerland have been identified, police said on Sunday, with teenagers making up more than half of the death toll.
The final 16 victims have now been identified, Valais Police said, following the blaze at the mountain resort of Crans-Montana early on Jan. 1.

The fire was one of the worst disasters in recent Swiss history and has led to an outpouring of grief in Switzerland, which will hold a national day of mourning next week.

Hundreds of people held a silent procession through the frosty streets of Crans-Montana on Sunday to remember victims of the fire, which also injured more than 100 people.
Earlier on Sunday mourners attended a church service in the town where Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey said condolences had poured in from around the world, including from the Pope.
“Countless people join us – people whose hearts are broken,” Lovey told the service. “Many expressions of sympathy and solidarity reach us.
“Pope Leo XIV joins in our sorrow,” he added. “In a moving message, he expresses his compassion and his care for the victims’ families and strengthens the courage of all who are suffering.”

TEENAGERS AMONG THE DEAD

Some 26 of the 40 dead were teenagers, with the victims including a 14-year-old French national and a 14-year-old from Switzerland, police said. No names were released.
In total, 21 of the dead were Swiss citizens, seven were French and six Italian.
Other victims came from Romania, Turkey, Portugal, Belgium as well as one Swiss-French dual national and a 15-year-old girl who held French, Israeli and British nationality.

The mother of a 16-year-old Swiss boy Arthur Brodard confirmed overnight that he was among those killed.
“Now we can start our mourning, knowing he is in peace,” Laetitia Brodard-Sitre said on her Facebook page.

NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING

Switzerland will hold a national day of mourning on Friday, national president Guy Parmelin said on Sunday, with church bells ringing across the country and a minute’s silence planned.

“In this moment of reflection, everyone in Switzerland can personally remember the victims of the disaster,” Parmelin told newspaper Sonntagsblick.
The fire likely started when “fountain candle” sparklers were held aloft too close to the ceiling at the Constellation bar, the region’s chief prosecutor has said.
Some 119 people were injured, including many with severe burns.
The Swiss government said on Sunday that 35 patients have been transferred from hospitals in Switzerland to specialised clinics in Belgium, France, Germany, and Italy.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/numerous-teenagers-among-dead-swiss-bar-blaze-police-say-2026-01-04/

China’s top diplomat accused the U.S. of acting like a “world judge” by seizing Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro to put him on trial in New York, with Beijing set to confront Washington at the United Nations over the move’s legality.
Beijing follows a policy of non-intervention and routinely criticises military activity conducted without the UN Security Council’s approval.

The U.S. military’s removal of the leader of one of China’s “all-weather” strategic partners from his capital in the dead of night will be a litmus test of Beijing’s assertion that it can play a role in resolving global hotspot issues without following Washington down the military route.

“We have never believed that any country can act as the world’s police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the world’s judge,” Wang told his Pakistani counterpart during a meeting in Beijing on Sunday, referring to “sudden developments in Venezuela” without directly mentioning the United States.
“The sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law,” China’s top diplomat added, in his first remarks since images of the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed on Saturday stunned the world.
Maduro is scheduled to appear in a New York court on Monday to face drugs charges. Just blocks away, the UN Security Council will convene at Colombia’s request – backed by China and Russia – to debate U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to seize him, a move UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned could set “a dangerous precedent.”

Analysts note China, the world’s second-largest economy and leading global trading partner, will be crucial in marshalling criticism of Washington’s actions.
“There isn’t much in the way of material support that China can offer Venezuela at this time, but rhetorically, Beijing will be very important when it leads the effort at the UN and with other developing countries to rally opinion against the U.S.,” said Eric Olander, co-founder of the China-Global South Project.

“What we’ve seen in the cases of Zimbabwe and Iran, both sanctioned by the West, is that China demonstrates its commitment to these relationships through trade and investment, even under difficult circumstances,” he added.

‘A BIG BLOW FOR CHINA’

With Trump also threatening military action against Colombia and Mexico and having remarked that Cuba’s communist regime “looks like it’s ready to fall” on its own, Latin American countries that signed up to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship Global Security Initiative may now wonder how the pact will protect them if put to the test.

Xi on Monday urged all countries to abide by international law and the UN principles. He said major powers should set an example, while stopping short of naming the U.S. or Venezuela.
Beijing has had considerable success in persuading Latin American states to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, with Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras all siding with the $19 trillion economy’s talk of strategic partnership over the last 20 years.
Venezuela switched recognition in 1974, a relationship that deepened under Hugo Chavez, the socialist former soldier who took power in 1998 and became Beijing’s closest ally in Latin America, distancing his country from Washington while lauding the Chinese Communist Party’s governance model and presiding over democratic backsliding at home.
The close relationship continued after Chavez died in 2013 and Maduro became leader, even enrolling his son at the top-ranking Peking University in 2016.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-it-cannot-accept-countries-acting-world-judge-after-us-captures-2026-01-05/

The legality of the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will be under the spotlight at the United Nations on Monday, but Washington is unlikely to face strong criticism from allies over its military operation in the Latin American state.
The 15-member U.N. Security Council will meet on Monday after U.S. Special Forces seized Maduro in an operation on Saturday that knocked out power in parts of Caracas and struck military installations. Venezuelan authorities also said it was deadly. Maduro is now in detention in New York awaiting a court appearance on Monday on drug charges.

Russia, China and other Venezuelan allies have accused the United States of violating international law, but U.S. allies – many of whom opposed Maduro – have been less vocal about any concerns over the use of military force.
“Judging by the reactions from European leaders to date, I suspect that U.S. allies will equivocate exquisitely in the Security Council,” said Richard Gowan, director of global issues and institutions at the International Crisis Group, a think-tank.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres views the U.S. operation as setting “a dangerous precedent,” his spokesperson said on Saturday. Many legal experts also say the U.S. action was illegal, although Washington will be able to block any attempts by the U.N. Security Council to hold it accountable.

WASHINGTON CITES SELF-DEFENSE

In the wake of the U.S. operation, European states have largely called for international law to be respected without specifically calling out Washington, though French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the U.S. had violated “the principle of not resorting to force, that underpins international law.”
The U.N. Charter states that members “shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.” There are currently 193 members of the United Nations.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz on Sunday cited Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, which says that nothing “shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a member of the United Nations.”

“In this case, you have a drug kingpin, an illegitimate leader indicted in the United States, coordinating with the likes of China, Russia, Iran, terrorist groups like Hezbollah, pumping drugs, thugs, and weapons into the United States of America, threatening to invade its neighbors,” he told Fox News.
However, legal experts say the U.S. operation was illegal because it lacked U.N. Security Council authorization, did not have Venezuelan consent, and does not constitute self-defense against an armed attack.
“The action violated international law,” said Tom Dannenbaum, a professor at Stanford Law School. “Serious legal objections to Maduro’s regime do not eliminate the need for a legal basis to use military force in Venezuela.”

U.S. VETO SHIELDS WASHINGTON

But Washington cannot be held accountable for any violation by the U.N. Security Council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security. The U.S. wields a veto – along with Russia, China, Britain and France – so can block action.

Maduro was indicted in 2020 on U.S. charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy. He has always denied any criminal involvement.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/legality-us-capture-venezuelas-maduro-focus-united-nations-2026-01-04/

U.S. President Donald Trumpsaid on Sunday that the United States might launch a second military strike on Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro if remaining members of the administration do not cooperate with his efforts to get the country “fixed.”
Trump’s comments to reporters aboard Air Force One raised the possibility of further U.S. military interventions in Latin America, and suggested Colombia and Mexico could also face military action if they do not reduce the flow of illicit drugs to the United States.

“Operation Colombia sounds good to me,” Trump said. He also said that Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela, “looks like it’s ready to fall” on its own without U.S. military action.
Maduro is in a New York detention center awaiting a Monday court appearance on drug charges. His capture by the United States has sparked deep uncertainty about what is next for the oil-rich South American nation.
Trump said his administration will work with remaining members of the Maduro regime to clamp down on drug trafficking and overhaul its oil industry, rather than push for immediate elections to install a new government.

Top officials in Maduro’s government are still in charge and have called the detentions of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores a kidnapping.
“Here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros. Let no one fall for the enemy’s provocations,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said in an audio recording released by the ruling PSUV socialist party.
Images of the 63-year-old Maduro, blindfolded and handcuffed stunned Venezuelans. The operation was Washington’s most controversial intervention in Latin America, since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago.
Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino said on state television the U.S. attack killed soldiers, civilians and a “large part” of Maduro’s security detail “in cold blood.” Venezuela’s armed forces have been activated to guarantee sovereignty, he said.

The Cuban government said 32 of its citizens were killed during the raid.
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez — who also serves as oil minister — has taken over as interim leader with the blessing of Venezuela’s top court and has said Maduro remains president.
Rodriguez has long been considered the most pragmatic member of Maduro’s inner circle. But she has publicly contradicted Trump’s claim she is willing to work with the United States.
Trump said Rodriguez may pay a bigger price than Maduro “if she doesn’t do what’s right,” according to an interview with The Atlantic magazine on Sunday.
The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on that remark.

‘A QUARANTINE ON THEIR OIL’

Trump’s administration has described Maduro’s capture as a law-enforcement mission to force him to face U.S. criminal charges filed in 2020, including narco-terrorism conspiracy. Maduro has denied criminal involvement.
But Trump also said U.S. oil companies need “total access” to the country’s vast reserves and suggested that an influx of Venezuelan emigrating to the United States also factored into the decision to capture Maduro.
“What really played (into the decision to capture Maduro) is the fact that he sent millions of people into our country from prisons and from mental institutions, drug dealers, every drug addict in his country was sent into our country,” Trump said.

The Venezuelan government has said for months Trump was seeking to take the country’s natural resources, especially its oil, and officials made much of a previous Trump comment that major U.S. oil companies would move in.
“We are outraged because in the end everything was revealed — it was revealed that they only want our oil,” Cabello said.
Once one of the most prosperous nations in Latin America, Venezuela’s economy tanked in the 2000s under President Hugo Chavez and nosedived further under Maduro, sending about one in five Venezuelans abroad in one of the world’s biggest exoduses.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Venezuela’s next leader should keep Venezuela’s oil industry out of the hands of U.S. adversaries and stop drug trafficking and cited an ongoing U.S. blockade on tankers.
“That means their economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interest of the Venezuelan people are met,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

MUTED STREETS

Some Maduro supporters gathered at a government-sponsored protest march on Sunday afternoon in Caracas.
Once ruled by Spain, Venezuela’s “people must not surrender, nor should we ever become a colony of anyone again,” said demonstrator Reinaldo Mijares. “This country is not a country of the defeated.”
Maduro opponents in Venezuela have been wary of celebrating his seizure, and the presence of security forces seemed, if anything, lighter than usual on Sunday.
Despite a nervous mood, some bakeries and coffee shops were open and joggers and cyclists were out as usual. Some citizens were stocking up on essentials.
“Yesterday I was very afraid to go out, but today I had to. This situation caught me without food and I need to figure things out. After all, Venezuelans are used to enduring fear,” said a single mother in oil city Maracaibo who bought rice, vegetables and tuna.
To the disappointment of Venezuela’s opposition, Trump has given short shrift to the idea of 58-year-old opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado taking over, saying she lacked support.
Machado was banned from standing in the 2024 election but has said her ally Edmundo Gonzalez, 76, who the opposition and some international observers say overwhelmingly won that vote, has a democratic mandate to take the presidency.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/venezuelas-maduro-custody-trump-says-us-will-run-country-2026-01-04/

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrived in China on Sunday as Beijing looks to deepen ties with the nearby country after heightened tensions between China and Japan over Taiwan, a self-ruled island it claims as its sovereign territory.

Lee’s four-day trip is his first visit to China since taking office in June. It comes at a time of heightened tensions between China and Japan, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that her country’s military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan.

China’s official news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday afternoon that Lee arrived in Beijing. During his stay, Lee will meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, their second meeting in just two months.

Lee signals commitment to China’s ties

Ahead of his trip, Lee gave an interview to China’s state broadcaster CCTV at Seoul’s Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office also known as the Blue House. Lee was quoted as saying that it was his first interview held in the presidential palace and that he hoped people would understand that his government cares about the relations between Beijing and Seoul.

In the interview, he assured that South Korea consistently respects the “One-China” policy when it comes to Taiwan, CCTV reported Friday. He said the healthy development of Beijing-Seoul relations depends on mutual respect. Lee also praised Xi as a “truly reliable neighbor.”

Last week, China staged large-scale military drills around the island for two days to warn against separatist and “external interference” forces. At that time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused Taiwan’s ruling party of trying to seek independence through requesting U.S. support.

The U.S. planned large-scale arms sales to Taiwan angered Beijing in December, leading to China sanctioning 20 U.S. defense-related companies.

Lee said Seoul’s cooperation with the U.S, its military ally, does not mean South Korea-China relations should move toward confrontation, CCTV reported. He acknowledged that past misunderstandings between his country and China had hindered bilateral relations.

“This visit to China aims to minimize or eliminate these past misunderstandings or contradictions, to elevate and develop South Korea-China relations to a new stage,” CCTV quoted him as saying.

To discuss the Korean Peninsula and strengthen economic ties

South Korea and the U.S. have urged China, North Korea’s traditional ally and economic pipeline, to use its influence on its socialist neighbor to convince it to return to talks or abandon its nuclear program.

But China has long been suspected of avoiding fully implementing U.N. sanctions on North Korea and sending clandestine aid shipments to help the North stay afloat and continue to serve as a bulwark against U.S. influence on the Korean Peninsula.

On Sunday, North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea, South Korea’s military said, the latest weapons demonstration by the North ahead of its upcoming ruling party congress.

Lee’s visit is meant to strengthen bilateral ties and discuss ways to restore peace on the Korean Peninsula, South Korean officials said.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/china-south-korea-xi-lee-jae-myung-1e830bb1a85b46f89bfd630b87542910

Myanmar’s military government granted amnesty to more than 6,100 prisoners and reduced other inmates’ sentences Sunday to mark the 78th anniversary of the country’s independence from Britain.

It was not immediately clear whether those released include the thousands of political detainees imprisoned for opposing military rule.

The amnesty comes as the military government proceeds with a monthlong, three-stage election process that critics say is designed to add a facade of legitimacy to the status quo.

State-run MRTV television reported that Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, pardoned 6,134 prisoners.

A separate statement said 52 foreigners will also be released and deported from Myanmar. No comprehensive list of those freed is available.

Other prisoners received reduced sentences, except for those convicted of serious charges such as murder and rape or those jailed on charges under various other security acts.

The release terms warn that if the freed detainees violate the law again, they will have to serve the remainder of their original sentences in addition to any new sentence.

The prisoner releases, common on holidays and other significant occasions in Myanmar, began Sunday and are expected to take several days to complete.

Buses took prisoners out of Yangon’s Insein Prison after 11 a.m., where friends and families of detainees had waited since morning for the announced releases.

Among the first group freed from Insein Prison, according to the pro-army news outlet Popular News Journal, was Ye Htut, a former high-profile army officer who had served as information minister and presidential spokesperson in a previous military-backed government.

He was arrested in October 2023 and sentenced to 10 years in prison the following month after being convicted of sedition and incitement for writing Facebook posts that allegedly spread false or inflammatory news.

However, there was no sign that the prisoner release would include former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted in the military takeover in 2021 and has been held virtually incommunicado since then.

The takeover was met with massive nonviolent resistance, which has since become a widespread armed struggle.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent organization that keeps detailed tallies of arrests and casualties linked to the nation’s political conflicts, more than 22,000 political detainees, including Suu Kyi, were in detention as of last Tuesday.

Many political detainees had been held on a charge of incitement, a catch-all offense widely used to arrest critics of the government or military and punishable by up to three years in prison.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/myanmar-amnesty-6100-prisoners-independence-day-549742ec63d257652d03f8bc136807b8

Denmark’s prime minister has told Donald Trump to “stop the threats” about taking over Greenland.

Mette Frederiksen said “it makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland”, adding: “The US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom.”

Her remarks come after Katie Miller – the wife of one of Trump’s aides, Stephen Miller – tweeted a map of Greenland in the colours of the American flag alongside the word “SOON”.

Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility of Greenland becoming an annexed part of the US, citing its strategic location and mineral wealth, and doubled down on his claims after Frederiksen’s comments.

In her statement, posted on the Danish government website, Frederiksen said she was addressing the US “very directly”.

She said Denmark – “and thus Greenland” – was a Nato member and covered by the alliance’s security guarantee. Denmark already had a defence agreement with the US that gave it access to Greenland, she said, and Denmark had upped its investment in security in the Arctic region.

“I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale,” she said.

Hours later on Air Force One, Trump reiterated the goal. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said.

Earlier the Danish ambassador to the US responded to the post by Ms Miller – a right-wing podcaster and former aide to Trump during his first term – with a “friendly reminder” that the two countries were allies and saying Denmark expected respect for its territorial integrity.

The exchange comes after the US carried out a major military operation against Venezuela on Saturday, capturing its president Nicolas Maduro and his wife and removing them to New York.

Trump later said the US would “run” Venezuela and US oil companies would “start making money for the country”.

The US president has previously refused to rule out using force to secure control of Greenland, a vast island in the Arctic.

Trump has claimed that making it part of the United States would serve US security interests due to its strategic location and its abundance of minerals critical to high-tech sectors.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g0zg974v1o

US President Donald Trump has said that his country will now “run” Venezuela and send US companies to fix its badly dilapidated oil infrastructure.

Oil prices fell on Monday (Jan 5) after a United States military operation seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, whose country has the world’s biggest proven crude reserves.

Increased volumes of Venezuelan oil entering the market would add to oversupply concerns and put further pressure on oil prices, which have fallen in recent months.

In morning trade in Asia, Brent Crude was down 0.21 per cent at US$60.62 per barrel while West Texas Intermediate was off 0.35 per cent at US$57.12, both off earlier lows.

US forces attacked Caracas in the early hours of Saturday, bombing military targets and spiriting away Maduro and his wife to face federal narcotrafficking charges in New York.

US President Donald Trump has said that the US will now “run” Venezuela and send US companies to fix its badly dilapidated oil infrastructure.

After years of under-investment and sanctions, Venezuela currently pumps around one million barrels per day, down from around 3.5 million barrels per day in 1999.

But analysts say that alongside other major questions about Venezuela’s future, substantially lifting its oil production will not be easy or quick.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/oil-prices-fall-us-capture-venezuela-president-nicolas-maduro-5789431

 

ANYONE expecting elation on the streets of Venezuela after the arrest of hated President Nicolas Maduro would have been sorely disappointed.

After almost 30 years of brutal socialist dictatorship bringing the country to its knees, the power vacuum left by his capture was replaced by a sense of terror.

People are too scared to step outside, let alone party in public.

When I became one of the few British journalists to visit the South American nation in 2018, there was high anxiety everywhere I went.

This was a time when Maduro was being courted by then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Maduro called Corbyn a “friend of Venezuela”, while Corbyn hailed his country as a vision of the socialist utopia he wanted to bring to Britain.

Left wingers, such as former London Mayor Ken Livingstone, praised ex-president Hugo Chavez, who was Maduro’s mentor, for redistributing Venezuela’s incredible oil wealth away from the “elite” to “the majority of the population”.

But during my week-long assignment, there was no sign of the paradise they had described.

All I could see was a dystopian and bankrupt state where years of economic illiteracy and corruption — with leaders stealing natural resources to line their own pockets — had resulted in the rule of law ceasing to exist.

The security briefing I received before departing Gatwick airport was unnerving, to say the least.

Dire poverty

With 73 murders a day on average, I was told that it was no longer safe to travel at night in Venezuela and I was advised to remain inside my hotel from the early evening onwards.

But even during daylight hours my life would be in constant jeopardy, according to the security experts.

Not just because the capital Caracas had become a den of gang violence, where innocent people would be shot dead for a few dollars, but also because ordinary citizens were desperate and starving and would likely turn to crime to put food on the table.

It was with these dire warnings in my head that I nervously eyed the sparse, twinkling lights of the city after the nine-hour flight from Madrid had completed its descent.

Since Madura had been handed the keys to power following the death of Chavez in 2013, Venezuela had tumbled into a period of dizzying economic disaster.

Inflation rocketed to 82,700 per cent, making its bolivar currency worthless and resulting in people needing wheelbarrows of cash to perform basic transactions.

Despite the government sitting on pots of money from its oil revenue, public services had failed, unemployment was rife and crime had spun out of control to the point where just wearing a watch, we were told, was suicidal unless you had a well-armed bevy of bodyguards.

“We didn’t want a war, we didn’t look for it . . . it was Maduro who declared war on the Venezuelan people

Even street lighting had become unaffordable in many areas, an issue that photographer Ian Whittaker and I witnessed as we endured a very tense 30- minute car journey from the airport on the night of our arrival that August.

Our fixer in Caracas did little to calm my nerves as he chatted from the passenger seat, mentioning that he kept his job secret from neighbours for fear that having foreign currency would make him a kidnap target.

And so began my spell in a country that has become the focus of world news following the ousting of corrupt Maduro, who had kept his own nest well-feathered just like his dictator-style moustache, all while leading his people into chaos and dire poverty.

The despot was photographed in handcuffs and surrounded by DEA agents as he and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, were taken to the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn to face drug trafficking- related charges yesterday.

It followed Saturday’s 2am storming of his military compound by a crack team of US special forces that had been spying on him for weeks, to the point they even knew what food he fed his dogs.

Maduro, 63, and his wife were reportedly asleep when the US forces burst in.

And having been frogmarched through the property in their pyjamas, they were whisked off on the USS Iwo Jima assault ship.

His downfall represents yet another coup for Trump, who branded Maduro the head of a cocaine-exporting drugs cartel at the same time as he took the unprecedented step of repeatedly sinking alleged drug- trafficking boats bound for the US.

The surprising turn of events brought a smile to my face, having visited the country and spending years hoping for change but seeing all previous efforts thwarted.

Just last month, brave opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was unable to collect the Nobel Peace Prize in person as there was a high risk she would be bumped off by Maduro’s goons.

The Nobel Institute commended “her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy”.

Machado did eventually make a triumphant appearance, where she warned: “We need to address this regime not as a conventional dictatorship, but as a criminal structure. We didn’t want a war, we didn’t look for it . . . it was Maduro who declared war on the Venezuelan people.”

Seven years earlier, these sentiments were echoed by ordinary people in Caracas who risked arrest by criticising the regime.

Grandmother Estella Martinez was wearing a headband of worthless banknotes when we saw her outside the state-owned Bicentenario Bank, where she had spent the previous night hoping to collect her pension.

She said: “I have lived here all of my life and we have never had it so bad. This is a disaster.

‘Shot in back’

“I don’t have anything. I should get my pension and my disability payment for my spinal condition.

“I just want to get a coffee or something to take away the hunger. I can’t remember the last time I had a proper meal.”

Asked why she did not spend the folded 100 bolivar notes adorning her forehead, the former maid added: “This money is worthless now because of inflation. Five years ago, 100 bolivars would have been enough to fill my fridge. Today the shops won’t take them as they are worth so little.”

We also spoke to surveyor Antonio Cardenas, 64, who had lost his job and was still grieving the death of his son Goram, 20, shot by muggers three years earlier.

“We need to address this regime not as a conventional dictatorship, but as a criminal structure. We didn’t want a war, we didn’t look for it . . . it was Maduro who declared war on the Venezuelan people

Antonio said: “People are scared to criticise this government but the fact is this system does not work. My son was killed because the criminals were desperate for his money. They shot him in his back.”

Then there was security guard Francisco Bonilla, 41, whose salary was the equivalent of £7.81 a month and who sadly informed us: “It’s not enough to feed my wife and three children. We try to live off beans and cheese.”

Throughout, photographer Ian and I found the people of Venezuela to be welcoming, and grateful that we were taking an interest.

Despite Ian snapping away with a camera worth enough to feed an entire family for a year, the only point we felt threatened was when we were pulled over at a police checkpoint on day three.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15730950/venezuela-murders-inflation-maduro-socialist/

The Central African Republic held relatively peaceful elections on December 28, widely seen as a test for President Touadera’s decade in power. But can the country entrench stability and deliver economic transformation?

As voters in the Central African Republic await results of the December 28 elections, attention is already turning to how the country can consolidate security gains and transition into economic recovery.

Incumbent President Faustin-Archange Touadera, 68, seeking a third term, is widely tipped for victory following constitutional changes in 2023 that removed term limits. The vote, which African Union (AU) observers described as “step forward towards democracy,” took place against a backdrop of a fragile economy and a complex regional geopolitical landscape.

Touadera’s decade in power

Beverly Ochieng, senior analyst at Control Risks in Senegal, told DW that President Touadera’s dominance partly stems from his long tenure, and changing the constitution to consolidate his power.

She added Touadera does have a record over the last 10 years “of trying to push for peace across the country whether through peace agreements with various rebel groups or even paramilitaries.”

In an exclusive interview with DW, President Touadera said his record speaks for itself.

“Take a look at the situation in 2016 when I took office. There was no state authority throughout the country. You couldn’t go out without an escort,” he said, adding: “Our defense forces were completely non-existent. Today, we see a country that is gradually recovering, that is raising its head.”

During the last election, in 2020, only 50% of sub-prefectures were able to host polling normally, and the election was disrupted an attempted coup by rebels from the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC).

Security gains and remaining challenges

Analysts agree that CAR is far more secure than it was a decade ago.

“Let us not forget in December 2020 there were rebels literally at the doors of Bangui, and the situation has changed,” said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa Director at Human Rights Watch.

Mudge credits several factors: “The bilateral agreements he’s made with Russia and Rwanda, the UN peacekeeping force, but probably most importantly are these peace deals that he’s signed recently with three main rebel groups over the last few months.”

Ochieng adds: “10 years ago at the point when Touadera and various other candidates were seeking election, state presence was very minimal outside of Bangui and there has been progress even, though there have been various setbacks.”

Touadera himself emphasizes the role of international partners and bilateral allies.

“We have gone from 5,000 armed forces personnel to more than 23,000 on the ground today,” he told DW, adding that Central African troops now operate alongside international partners, including the UN mission MINUSCA (Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic).

Still, insecurity persists in areas such as Haut-Mbomou, which is in the far east of the country, bordering on the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Touadera points to disarmament efforts as evidence of progress: “We had identified 14 armed groups. Today, 11 armed groups have declared their self-dissolution.”

Despite these gains, critics warn that CAR’s reliance on foreign support — particularly from Russia — could narrow political space.

“The fight for peace and security is not over,” Touadera told thousands of supporters in Bangui during his campaign, pledging to strengthen the armed forces to preserve national unity.

Economic recovery: The next big test

CAR remains one of the poorest countries in the world, and pressure is mounting on the government to deliver economic reforms.

In fact, analyst Beverly Ochieng tells DW that despite consolidated security efforts, “without inclusion, it will be difficult for there to be much economic gain.”

Touadera’s main rival, Anicet-Georges Dologuele, who was defeated in 2016 and 2020, made the economy the centerpiece of his campaign.

“We no longer have an economy. What kind of country is this that produces nothing, that exports nothing?” Dologuele told DW.

He described the vote as: “A choice for national survival; a choice between resignation and hope.”

Analysts agree that gaining security is fundamental for economic progress.

“You can’t even have these conversations about the economy unless the country is secure,” Mudge told DW.

In Bangui, young people expressed both frustration and cautious optimism.

Brunel, a trainee jewelry maker, said: “Our concern is first of all to have stability so the authorities can create favorable conditions for the sons and daughters of the country to work.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/car-touadera-expected-to-win-peaceful-election/a-75230518

 

Addressing reporters on board Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said, “PM Modi’s a very good man. He’s a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”

US President Donald Trump has hinted at imposing fresh tariffs on India over its continued imports of Russian oil, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi “knew he was not happy.”

Addressing reporters on board Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said, “PM Modi’s a very good man. He’s a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”

Last year, Trump ramped up his tariff offensive, imposing a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff on India and another 25 per cent penalty for buying Russian oil, taking total duties in some categories to a staggering 50 per cent. This move led to a sharp deterioration of ties between New Delhi and Washington.

The US President’s latest threat comes only weeks after he had a telephonic conversation with PM Modi, during which the two leaders emphasised the need to maintain momentum in their shared efforts to enhance bilateral trade despite ongoing tariff tensions.

Their conversation took place the same day as negotiators from the two nations kickstarted a fresh round of talks aimed at resolving the tariff impasse.

Just a few days before the call, Trump had threatened fresh tariffs on Indian rice after a farmer representative at a White House roundtable complained of dumping by India, China and Thailand.

“Why is India allowed to do that? They have to pay tariffs. Do they have an exemption on rice?” Trump asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the time.

When told a trade deal is in the works, Trump added, “but they [India] shouldn’t be doing that… We will get it settled. Tariffs solve the problem in two minutes.”

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/pm-modi-knew-i-wasnt-happy-trump-hints-new-tariffs-russian-oil-2846577-2026-01-05

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s resurfaced X post from seven years ago denounces possible military action in Venezuela

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has gone viral on social media after an X post from seven years ago denouncing possible military action in Venezuela resurfaced.

Gabbard’s resurfaced post follows the arrest of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The couple will face U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

“The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela. Let the Venezuelan people determine their future,” she wrote in 2019. “We don’t want other countries to choose our leaders— so we have to stop trying to choose theirs.”

In another post, the former Congresswoman noted U.S. history of successfully ousting authoritarian leaders, but struggling to build long-lasting democracy.

“Throughout history, every time the U.S. topples a foreign country’s dictator/government, the outcome has been disastrous,” Gabbard wrote. “Civil war/military intervention in Venezuela will wreak death and destruction to Venezuelan people, and increase tensions that threaten our national security.”

In that post, Gabbard also added a clip of an interview with Fox News in which she criticized the first Trump administration for what she considered “an increased saber rattling and tensions” pushing the U.S. to send in the military to “wage yet another wasteful counterproductive regime change war… under the guise of humanitarianism.”

Gabbard, at the time, was a Democratic representative from Hawaii. As a veteran of the Iraq war, the now-DNI has long opposed U.S. intervention in foreign countries. Gabbard made those comments during Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis in 2019, as U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido was on the brink of toppling Maduro’s regime.

Following the arrest of Maduro and Flores, Gabbard’s post has regained notoriety, leading users to deem it “didn’t age well.”

“Thanks for speaking out. I’m sure the U.S. will take your point and stay out of Venezuela,” one user commented ironically.

“Any update on this one?” another one said.

The investigators have obtained an arrest warrant charging the ex-boyfriend with murder.

A 27-year-old Indian woman reported missing since New Year’s Eve was found dead with stab wounds inside her ex-boyfriend’s apartment in Maryland, the police said.

The victim has been identified as Nikitha Godishala, a data and strategy analyst, from Ellicott City, Howard County police said. Her body was found at an apartment owned by Arjun Sharma, 26, her ex-boyfriend.

The investigators have obtained an arrest warrant charging the ex-boyfriend with both first- and second-degree murder.

According to investigators, Sharma made the missing person report to police on January 2 and told officers he last saw Godishala on December 31 at his apartment in the Maryland city.

On January 3, detectives executed a search warrant at the same apartment and found Godishala dead with stab wounds.

Sharma left the country on a flight to India on the same day he reported Godishala missing, the police said.

Through investigation, detectives believe Sharma killed Godishala shortly after 7 pm on December 31.

The investigation is ongoing, and no motive is known at this time. Howard County police said they are now working with federal law enforcement agencies to locate and arrest the ex-boyfriend.

The Indian Embassy said it is in contact with the family of Nikitha Godishala and is extending all possible consular assistance.

“The Embassy is also following up the matter with the local authorities,” it said.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/indian-woman-27-found-dead-with-stab-wounds-at-ex-boyfriends-flat-in-us-cops-10308146?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

In Maduro’s absence, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez stepped in as interim leader.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk dined with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on Saturday, just hours after lauding the US president for a military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

Sharing a photo from the dinner on the social media platform X, Musk wrote, “Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS and @FLOTUS. 2026 is going to be amazing!”

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Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS and @FLOTUS.

2026 is going to be amazing! pic.twitter.com/1Oq35b1PEC

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 4, 2026

Earlier in the day, Musk reposted an image shared by the White House that showed Maduro blindfolded aboard the USS Iwo Jima.

Commenting on the image, Musk wrote, “Congratulations, President Trump! This is a win for the world and a clear message to evil dictators everywhere.”

Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were captured in a surprise nighttime operation carried out by US forces after being pulled from their bedroom. The couple was reportedly asleep in their home within the heavily guarded Fort Tiuna military complex in Caracas when American commandos entered the residence.

The operation was reportedly carried out by the US Army’s Delta Force with support from the FBI and was completed in under 30 minutes. US officials said no American personnel were killed in the raid.

Speaking at a press conference, President Trump said the United States would temporarily “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” can be ensured.

In Maduro’s absence, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez stepped in as interim leader. The 56-year-old former labour lawyer strongly denounced the capture of Maduro and Flores, terming it a breach of international law.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/2026-going-to-be-amazing-musk-dines-with-trump-after-praising-potus-over-venezuela-attack-ws-l-9809593.html