Minimalist News

What's In Your Coffee? Unexpected Facts Behind Your Morning Cup Authored by Kimberly Drake via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Coffee is beloved for its caffeine kick and flavor, but it also helps reduce risks from chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease thanks to high levels of antioxidants and other bioactive compounds. FoodVideoPhoto/Shutterstock However, along with its nutty flavor and comforting aroma, researchers have found traces of potentially cancer-causing roasting byproducts, mycotoxins from mold, cholesterol-raising compounds, and even pesticide residues that can linger from farm to mug. The good news is that the choices you make, from the type of coffee

Gaza Tent Cities Under Water Amid Deadly 'Catastrophic' Storm Via Middle East Eye At least 11 Palestinians have died in storm-hit Gaza from cold and collapsing buildings within the last 24 hours. Two children - nine-year-old Hadeel Hamdan and an infant, Taim Khawaja - died from cold in Gaza City on Friday, according to medical sources. Another child, eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar, died in Khan Younis on Thursday after rainwater leaked into her family’s tent during overnight storms. Five people were killed when a damaged house in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, collapsed under floods and strong winds. Several others were injured. Via AP/Al Jazeera Two more deaths

UBS Outlines Three Reasons For Sober Revolution Crushing Spirits Market There are just thirteen days until Christmas. Friends and family are gathering; eggnog, spiked with bourbon, dark or spiced rum, or cognac, is flowing, and Christmas music fills homes, restaurants, and bars, blaring from speakers tuned to holiday playlists. But this Christmas season, like the last few, the spirits market in North America is extraordinarily weak and, according to UBS analysts led by Zuzanna Pusz, unlikely to rebound in 2026. Pusz outlined three main drivers behind these structural headwinds: generational shifts as Gen Z drinks less and adopts healthy habits; substitution from GLP-1

Border Tsar Homan Announces Investigation Into Rep. Omar: A Case For Fraud Or Defamation? Authored by Jonathan Turley, This week, the lingering allegations over the marital history of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) took an ominous step when Border Tsar Tom Homan publicly acknowledged that the government is looking into the matter. Rep. Omar has long denied that she married her brother to gain his entry into the United States, but the allegation has continued to rage on the Internet and among her critics. The question is whether this is a substantive case of fraud or defamation. Homan stated that he was investigating whether Omar

This Elderly Man Gave Away His Gold After Fake US Marshal Called. He Isn't The Only One. Authored by Allan Stein via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), SHOW LOW, Ariz.—The coin shop owner had seen his share of hefty deals, but this call caught him off guard. An elderly man from nearby Snowflake, Arizona, wanted to purchase gold coins valued in the tens of thousands. Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock The next day, when the man walked into the shop in Show Low, his nervousness was obvious. The man was clutching his phone, hanging onto every word from a woman’s voice that seemed

What The Top 1% Richest Americans Pay In Taxes Across The US This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, uses IRS data from 2022 analyzed by SmartAsset to show how much the richest people contribute to income tax revenue. WHERE THE TOP 1% PAY THE LARGEST SHARE OF TAXES The table below includes each state’s share of income taxes paid by the top 1% and the total amount of income tax they paid. Wyoming leads the nation, with the top 1% paying 54.67% of all state income taxes. Florida and Nevada follow closely, both surpassing the 50% threshold. These states attract high-income individuals in part due to tax-friendly

Lefty 'Consumer' Watchdog Group Bought & Paid For By Big Pharma Via American Greatness, The National Consumers League is America’s oldest consumer advocacy organization and a group trusted by the left, especially, to stand up for consumers’ interests. But according to a review of its tax filings by the Washington Examiner, it has also become part of a web of astroturf groups shilling for the corporate interests of PhRMA, the massive drugmaker trade association that operates in Washington, DC, which donated close to $1 million to it just last year. The organization’s 2024 tax form, which became available a few days ago, shows that the

AI Is A "Supersonic Tsunami"; Musk Bullish On Global Trajectory It has been a month since Elon Musk and Joe Rogan spoke, but, as 'Camus' pointed out this week, this seven-minute exchange, buried in the middle of a three hour conversation, could very well be one of the most important conversations of the decade. Musk laid it out bluntly: AI is a “supersonic tsunami” already erasing every purely digital job—coding, emails, spreadsheets, customer support—faster than any shift in history. > "I think there will be actually a high demand for jobs, but not necessarily the same jobs," Musk told Rogan on the comedian's podcast.  >

Snow Threat For Mid-Atlantic I-90 Corridor This Weekend Ahead of next week's return to global warming, thank you, Al Gore, for listening to our prayers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast after weeks of below-average temperatures that felt like the Arctic. A weekend snowstorm is set to blanket the region with accumulating snow. The NWS Weather Prediction Center published a new snowfall forecast for a weekend winter storm that stretches from the northern High Plains of Montana through the Ohio Valley, the central Appalachians, and the Northeast, including major cities from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. Private weather forecaster

Newsom's 'National Model' For Homeless Wracked By Fraud Authored by Ana Kasparian via RealClearInvestigations, Gov. Gavin Newsom has made reducing the homelessness crisis in California a top priority, saying the scale of the state’s efforts is “unprecedented” and calling for the continued expansion of his signature effort – Project Homekey – that has already cost $3.75 billion.  But in a state with more than 181,000 homeless individuals, or about one-third of the U.S. total, Homekey has been marred by failures and scandals, including a lack of government oversight and accountability as well as a federal investigation into allegations of fraud in Los Angeles.  Newsom,

Leaked Video: Woke Elite College Held "Disgusting" Sexual Orientation Performance Amherst College, proudly one of America’s wokest institutions, has once again outdone itself in the name of “sexual respect.” A group of traumatized students claim they were effectively coerced into a mandatory orientation spectacle where student performers humped under blankets, moaned theatrically, and pelted the audience with condoms “like confetti,” footage leaked to the Washington Free Beacon shows. Junior Isabella Niemi, who endured an earlier edition of the show, told the Free Beacon the “grossly sexual” skit nearly broke her impeccable rule-following streak. “I thought about leaving 10 minutes in. I’m not someone who

Ex-NY Aide Did China's Bidding To 'Get Rich', Prosecutor Says In Closing Arguments Authored by Nicholas Zifcak & Eva Fu via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Linda Sun, former aide to New York governors, did Beijing’s bidding to enrich herself and her family, prosecutors said in closing arguments on Dec. 10 after a month-long trial. Linda Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, depart from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in New York City on Nov. 19, 2025. Flora Hua/NTD In his summing-up, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Solomon described Sun, who served under both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul

Can Anyone Believe Anything? Authored by James Howard Kunstler, > "The fire consuming you is the fire that tempers." > > - EKO on "X" 'Tis the season to be flummoxed. Now you see what it’s like when all authority is suspect and nobody can believe anything. The question, of course, is how much of that is engineered by interested parties. . . and who are those parties? There’s the legion of monied orgs and foundations supported by sinister billionaires, starting with George and Alex Soros’s Open Society Foundations, a bewildering matrix of worldwide political activism ops aimed at sowing Marxist-inflected chaos wherever a polity is threatened

Social Justice Gone Wild: Oklahoma BLM Leader Indicted On Fraud, Money Laundering Charges A federal grand jury has unsealed a 25-count indictment against the leader of the far-left Marxist group Black Lives Matter in Oklahoma City over allegations of wire fraud and money laundering. Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, 52, served as Executive Director of Black Lives Matter OKC (BLMOKC). As Executive Director, Dickerson had access to BLMOKC’s bank, PayPal, and Cash App accounts, where federal prosecutors allege she looted the organization “for her personal benefit,” including travel to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, tens of thousands of dollars in retail shopping, more

Trump Signs Order Cracking Down On 'Politically Motivated Agendas' Of Proxy Advisors President Donald Trump on Dec. 11 signed an order directing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to review rules on proxy advisors, saying they wield influence that “prioritize radical political agendas over investor returns.” Trump’s order directs the SEC to conduct a review and potentially revise or rescind any rules, guidance, bulletins, and memoranda related to proxy advisors that implicate “diversity, equity, and inclusion” or “environmental, social, and governance” policies. Under the directive, the SEC must enforce anti-fraud provisions in securities laws against proxy advisors, evaluate whether they should be required

Russia Retaliates: Turkish-Owned Cargo Ship Attacked At Ukrainian Port Turkey's Foreign Ministry has warned against the ongoing escalation of the war on maritime shipping in the Black Sea, after on Friday serious damage was sustained by a Turkish-owned vessel during a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk, in Odesa oblast. The ministry confirmed that a ship operated by a Turkish company is on fire. At least one person, possibly a dockworker, was reported injured - but there doesn't appear to be further casualties. The forward section of the vessel is ablaze, based on several social media images and videos,

OCC Says 9 Big Banks Took Part In 'Inappropriate' Debanking Practices Via American Greatness, The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has released a report saying that the nine largest lenders in the U.S. made “inappropriate distinctions” that it used to restrict services among certain customers. Following the signing of an executive order by President Donald Trump in August of this year, the OCC began reviewing all banks for any current or past practices that effectively barred customers on the basis of political or religious belief. Wednesday, the OCC released its report, saying that it had found conclusive proof that nine large banks had

Wall Street Eyes Lithium As Battery Storage Demand Poised To Spark New Upcycle Commodity desks at Goldman Sachs, UBS, Citigroup, and Bernstein all see lithium demand poised to surge after the electric vehicle boom-and-bust cycle. This time, however, the growth engine is not EV batteries. Instead, analysts point to energy transition systems, such as the rapid buildout of energy storage batteries on power grids, as the next pillar of demand for the battery metal. UBS analyst Josh Reed provided clients with a 2026 outlook this morning, saying that his mining team expects "copper, aluminum, and lithium to outperform, benefiting from supply constraints,

Tech Companies Should Curb 'Sycophantic And Delusional' AI Outputs, Attorneys General Say Authored by Victoria Friedman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Attorneys general from 42 states and territories wrote to tech giants on Dec. 9, warning them to do more to protect people—particularly children—from what they called “sycophantic and delusional” outputs from their generative AI-powered chatbots. OpenAI's ChatGPT app (Center 2nd R) and icons of other AI apps on a smartphone screen in Oslo, Norway, on July 12, 2023. Olivier Morin/AFP via Getty Images In the letter, made public on Dec. 10, the group of bipartisan attorneys general wrote to the legal representatives

Oracle Shares Rebound After Denying 'Delays' Update (1300ET): Oracle shares are rebounding strongly (and helping the overall market) following a denial of Bloomberg's earlier report. Oracle told Reuters there are no delays to sites required for contractual commitments with OpenAI and that all milestones remain on track. Oracle additionally said site selection and delivery timelines were established in close coordination with OpenAI following execution of agreement and were jointly agreed, according to Reuters. ORCL shares are back at pre-delay-headline levels but still down on the day thanks to AVGO's overhang... *  *  * The fecal matter was already starting to strike the rotating object following Broadcom's

The seizure of the Skipper on Wednesday marked the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019 Venezuelan oil exports have reportedly fallen sharply since the US seized a tanker this week and imposed fresh sanctions on shipping companies and vessels doing business with Caracas, according to shipping data, documents and maritime sources. The US seizure of the Skipper tanker off Venezuela’s coast on Wednesday was the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019 and marked a sharp escalation in rising tensions between the Trump administration and the government of Nicolás

Justice Alexandre de Moraes and his wife had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions after conviction of ex-president The US Department of the Treasury has lifted sanctions imposed on the Brazilian supreme court justice who oversaw the conviction of the former president Jair Bolsonaro. Justice Alexandre de Moraes had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions, which target individuals accused of human rights abuses, since July. His wife Viviane Barci de Moraes – who was added the sanctions list in September – was also removed from the register on Friday. Continue reading...

Citizens told to stay at home while ELN guerrillas carry out exercises in response to US president’s cocaine warning Colombia’s ELN guerrilla group has ordered civilians in areas under its control to stay home for three days starting on Sunday, while it carries out military exercises in response to “intervention” threats from Donald Trump. Trump said earlier this month any country that produces cocaine and sells it to the United States was “subject to attack”. Continue reading...

Rookie Michael Ma leaves Conservative party for ‘steady, practical approach’ of Mark Carney’s government Canada’s ruling Liberals have edged closer to a majority government after a Conservative lawmaker crossed the floor, in yet another blow to the struggling Tories. Rookie lawmaker Michael Ma said late on Thursday that he had decided to leave the Conservative party, for “the steady, practical approach” of prime minister Mark Carney’s government, which he said would “deliver on the priorities I hear every day, including affordability and the economy”. Continue reading...

Torrential rain has caused mudslides, washed out roads and submerged vehicles with more deluges expected on Sunday The Pacific north-west is reeling from catastrophic flooding that inundated communities across the region this week, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate and prompting a federal emergency declaration. Torrential rain rapidly filled rivers and triggered flooding on Thursday from Oregon north through Washington state and into British Columbia, causing mudslides and tearing homes from their foundations. Authorities have closed dozens of roads in response to the emergency and issued evacuation warnings for 100,000 people. More rain is expected over the weekend and through

Trump announced the agreement after calls with Thai prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian prime minister Hun Manet * Thailand-Cambodia fighting explained Cambodia said Thai forces including fighter jets continued to strike targets across their disputed border hours after Donald Trump said both countries leaders had agreed to renew a truce brokered in October that has been strained by days of deadly clashes. “Thai forces have not stopped the bombing yet and are still continuing the bombing,” the Cambodian ministry of information said. Thailand’s military countered with accusations that Cambodia was committing “repeated violations of international rules” by targeting civilian locations and

Conservationists fear up to 11% of Tapanuli orangutan population perished in disaster that also killed 1,000 people The skull of a Tapanuli orangutan, caked in debris, stares out from a tomb of mud in North Sumatra, killed in catastrophic flooding that swept through Indonesia. The late November floods have been an “extinction-level disturbance” for the world’s rarest great ape, scientists have said, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects. Continue reading...

Notoriously difficult entrance exam is regarded as gateway to economic security and even a good marriage The chief organiser of South Korea’s notoriously gruelling university entrance exams has resigned – after complaints that an English test he designed was too difficult. Passing the exam, known locally as the Suneung, is essential for admission to prestigious universities and regarded as a gateway to upward social mobility, economic security and even a good marriage. Continue reading...

Co-founder of Singapore-based Terraform Labs given more jail time by US judge than prosecutors sought Do Kwon, the entrepreneur behind two cryptocurrencies that lost $40bn (£29.8bn) three years ago and caused the sector to crash, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud. The South Korean, 34, had pleaded guilty to two counts of US charges of conspiracy to defraud and wire fraud. Continue reading...

Move follows a disagreement with the largest grouping in parliament, with elections to be held within 45-60 days Thailand’s prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, announced on Thursday that he is “returning power to the people”, moving to dissolve parliament and clear the way for elections earlier than previously anticipated. Government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat said the move followed a disagreement with the largest grouping in parliament, the opposition People’s party. “This happened because we can’t go forward in parliament,” he told Reuters. Continue reading...

Bankstown man, 31, allegedly sent two emails to the communication minister’s office in late November making direct threats * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A Sydney man has been charged with threatening to kill government minister Anika Wells and her family. A 31-year-old Bankstown man allegedly sent two emails to Wells’ office in late November making direct threats to kill her and members of her family. Continue reading...

Updated wording expands definition of ‘party political duties’ as Labor politicians come under scrutiny for spending * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Cabinet minister Chris Bowen says Turnbull-era rules about travel expenses for politicians were changed by the Albanese government before the federal election to simplify them, despite criticism of the subsequent broad wording. In announcing an overhaul of the home batteries subsidy scheme, Bowen was asked about reporting in the Daily Telegraph that the federal government quietly changed the rules to make it easier for politicians to claim taxpayer-funded flights and accommodation prior to the

Regis Resources told a federal court hearing the partial protection order, which blocks construction of a planned tailings dam, would make its development unviable * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A mining company developing a goldmine in the central west of New South Wales has told the federal court the government did not properly assess a Dreaming story at the centre of a heritage protection order issued over part of the site. Regis Resources has challenged the decision by the former environment minister Tanya Plibersek to issue the order last year under section 10 of the

Consisting of 6.8km of tunnels and 9.2km of elevated roads, the project will provide a new river crossing and an alternative to the West Gate Bridge * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast After years of delays, cost overruns and the discovery of toxic soil that triggered a legal battle, Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel will finally open on Sunday. The $10.2bn project, consisting of 6.8km of tunnels and 9.2km of elevated roads, will provide a new river crossing and act as an alternative to the West Gate Bridge. Continue reading...

Chris Bowen says first 50kWh of a system would still be eligible, but discounting would not be as generous per kWh for medium- and larger-sized batteries * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Discounts for larger systems will be wound back under a popular home battery scheme as the program’s budget is tripled. The federal subsidy, which has been in place for five months, will get a generous top-up to $7.2bn across four years after initially being earmarked to cost $2.3bn, the energy minister, Chris Bowen, said. Continue reading...

The decision is a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine’s defence – but Moscow is threatening to retaliate The EU has agreed to indefinitely freeze Russia’s sovereign assets in the bloc, as Moscow stepped up its threats to retaliate against Euroclear, the keeper of most of the Kremlin’s immobilised money. The decision by the EU to use emergency powers to immobilise €210bn (£185bn) of Russia’s central bank’s assets marks a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine’s defence. Continue reading...

Bart De Wever will also discuss migration, security and economy ahead of coalition of the willing meeting and EU summit next week Russia’s central bank said it was suing the Belgium-based Euroclear financial group, which holds Moscow’s frozen international reserves, as the EU moves closer to using the funds to support Ukraine, AFP reported. The bank said it was filing “a lawsuit against Euroclear in the Moscow Arbitration Court” due to what it called “the illegal actions” of the institution. Continue reading...

Week-long event organised by Brothers of Italy looks like winter wonderland but is chance for PM to flaunt power When, out of curiosity, Leila Cader and her friends entered the gardens surrounding Castel Sant’Angelo, a prominent Rome monument that once served as a refuge for popes during times of war, they thought they’d chanced upon an enchanting winter wonderland. With the scent of mulled wine wafting through the air, Santa’s elves wandering around, stalls selling nativity-scene figurines and skaters merrily gliding on an ice-rink, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Continue reading...

Decision would anger environmental campaigners, who say it would amount to ‘gutting’ of green deal * Business live – latest updates The EU’s outright ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 is poised to be watered down, a senior European parliament politician has said. The decision, expected to be announced by the European Commission on Tuesday in Strasbourg, would be a divisive move, angering environmental campaigners who argue it would amount to the “gutting” of the EU’s flagship green deal. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says plan would not be fair without guarantees that Russia would not simply take over zone The US wants Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the Donbas region, and Washington would then create a “free economic zone” in the parts Kyiv currently controls, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Previously, the US had suggested Kyiv should hand over the parts of Donbas it still controlled to Russia, but the Ukrainian president said on Thursday that Washington had now suggested a compromise version in which Ukrainian troops would withdraw, but Russian troops would not advance into the territory. Continue reading...

Mohammadi ‘violently’ detained along with other activists at memorial event in Mashhad, her foundation says There are fears for the wellbeing of the 2023 Nobel peace prize winner, Narges Mohammadi, after she was detained by Iranian security forces at a memorial ceremony for a human rights lawyer in the eastern city of Mashhad. Mohammadi, 53, who was granted temporary leave from prison on medical grounds in December 2024, was newly detained along with several other activists at the memorial for Khosro Alikordi, who was found dead in his office last week. Continue reading...

‘Clear conflict’ between Eurovision ideals of ‘inclusion and dignity for all’ and decision to let Israel compete, says 2024 winner Nemo, the Swiss singer who won the 2024 Eurovision song contest, has said they are handing back their trophy in protest over Israel’s participation in next year’s event. The 26-year-old, the first non-binary winner of the contest, said on Thursday there was “a clear conflict” between the Eurovision ideals of “unity, inclusion and dignity for all” and the decision to allow Israel to compete. Continue reading...

Guardian story helped to draw attention to planned hanging of Goli Kouhkan over death of abusive husband A child bride who was due to be executed this month in Iran over the death of her husband has had her life spared by his parents, who were paid the equivalent of £70,000 in exchange for their forgiveness. Goli Kouhkan, 25, has been on death row in Gorgan central prison in northern Iran for the past seven years. At the age of 18 she was arrested over allegedly participating in the killing of her abusive husband, Alireza Abil, in May 2018, and sentenced to

Syrians who have rebuilt their lives abroad face uncertainty over their futures amid hardening of attitudes Tears of joy streamed down Abdulhkeem Alshater’s face as he joined thousands of other Syrian nationals in central Vienna last year. The moment they were marking felt like a miracle: after more than five decades of brutality and repression, the Assad regime had fallen. A day later, however, the ripple effects of what had happened 2,000 miles away in Syria were laid bare. A dozen European states announced plans to suspend asylum applications from Syrians, in a show of how western states are increasingly treating refugees

Aid agencies say Israel is still restricting their aid shipments despite ceasefire announced two months ago Malnutrition continues to take a toll among Gaza’s young despite a ceasefire declared two months ago, with more than 9,000 children treated for acute malnutrition in October alone, according to the latest UN figures. While the immediate threat of famine has receded for most of the 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza after the ceasefire announcement on 10 October, the UN and other aid agencies report continuing Israeli restrictions on their humanitarian aid shipments, which they say fall well below the needs of a population weakened and

Lawyers say people ‘don’t feel safe to leave their home’ as officials target recent arrivals and those awaiting hearings Immigration agents appear to be increasingly arresting and detaining Afghan asylum seekers, especially men, who have arrived in the US recently and are awaiting court hearings to decide their cases. Amir – an asylum seeker who came to the US via Mexico in 2024 – was driving home from his English class in Bloomington, Indiana just after noon on Monday, when he was pulled over by an unmarked police vehicle. Minutes later, the asylum seeker from Afghanistan was cuffed and driven to a

Conflict monitors say the junta has increased airstrikes year-on-year since the start of Myanmar’s civil war Dozens have been killed in a military strike on a hospital in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, according to an aid worker, a rebel group, a witness and local media reports, as the junta wages a withering offensive ahead of elections beginning this month. “The situation is very terrible,” said on-site aid worker Wai Hun Aung. “As for now, we can confirm there are 31 deaths and we think there will be more deaths. Also there are 68 wounded and will be more and more.” Continue reading...

Bajun Mavalwalla, who maintains his innocence, will take case to jury even as others strike plea agreements An Afghanistan war veteran arrested on felony “conspiracy” charges a month after he participated in a protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) maintains his innocence and is preparing for a jury trial, even as others arrested the same day strike plea agreements to avoid long prison terms, his father said. Bajun Mavalwalla II – a former army sergeant who survived a roadside bomb blast on a special operations mission in Afghanistan – was charged in July with “conspiracy to impede or injure officers”

Officials say the Birch nightclub had contravened multiple safety regulations and that the basement had no fire safety exit Four members of the same family on their first holiday to Goa were among the 25 killed in a deadly fire at a nightclub in the popular Indian tourist state on Saturday night. The massive blaze broke out at just before midnight at Birch by Romeo Lane, a buzzing bar, restaurant and nightclub in north Goa’s Aporna district. Continue reading...

Fire broke out at midnight in Arpora with victims mostly kitchen workers, according to state’s chief minister At least 25 people have been killed in a fire at a nightclub in Goa, an Indian state popular for its nightlife and tourism. Several tourists were among the 25 dead in the fire, which broke out at about midnight at Birch by Romeo Lane, a popular restaurant, cocktail bar and club in Arpora, a district of north Goa. Continue reading...

King extols early diagnosis which can give ‘invaluable time’ and backs launch of screening checker tool King Charles has hailed a “milestone” in his “cancer journey” and revealed he is to reduce his schedule of treatment in the new year, describing the news as a “personal blessing”. His treatment will move into a precautionary phase with its regularity significantly reduced as his recovery reaches a very positive stage, it is understood. His medical team will assess how much longer he will require treatment to protect and prioritise his continued recovery. Continue reading...

Exclusive: As Labour ministers prepare long awaited strategy, campaigners accuse them of sidelining experts Leading organisations have criticised the development of the government’s flagship violence against women and girls strategy, calling the process chaotic, haphazard and “worse than under the Tories”. Ministers are gearing up for a policy announcement blitz before the publication of the long-awaited plan next week. Continue reading...

Five men who targeted vulnerable girls in park sentenced to terms of between 18 months and 14 years Five men who were part of a “horrific” grooming gang that raped and sexually assaulted schoolgirls in a park have been jailed for between 18 months and 14 years. The men targeted vulnerable girls in Saltwell Park, Gateshead, plying their victims with alcohol and cocaine. Continue reading...

Nigel Farage’s party says it has more than 268,000 members amid reports Labour membership has fallen below 250,000 Reform UK says it is now the largest political party in Britain and has overtaken Labour, which has reportedly seen its membership fall below 250,000. Nigel Farage’s party says it has more than 268,000 members on the live tracker displayed on its website. Continue reading...

As Wham! top singles chart, Minogue draws level with David Bowie, Eminem, U2 and Rod Stewart in the album league table, thanks to a reissue of her 2015 Christmas LP Kylie Minogue has scored her 11th UK No 1 album, putting her level with David Bowie and Eminem in the league of all-time album chart-toppers. The album, Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped), will sound familiar to her fans: it’s a reissue of her 2015 album Kylie Christmas (which only reached No 12), containing four newly recorded tracks and an altered tracklisting. It had already been reissued once before, in 2016, as the Snow

This live blog is now closed. * Trump news at a glance: More Epstein estate photos released as White House decries ‘Democrat hoax’ The admiral in charge of US military forces in Latin America will retire two years early, AP reports, amid rising tensions with Venezuela that include Wednesday’s seizure of an oil tanker and more than 20 deadly strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats. Three US officials and two people familiar with the matter told Reuters that Admiral Alvin Holsey was pushed out by defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Two officials said Hegseth had grown frustrated with Southern Command as he sought to

California jury finds company knew its talc-based products were dangerous but failed to warn consumers A California jury on Friday awarded $40m to two women who said Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder was to blame for their ovarian cancer. The jury in Los Angeles superior court awarded $18m to Monica Kent and $22m to Deborah Schultz and her husband after finding that Johnson & Johnson knew for years its talc-based products were dangerous but failed to warn consumers. Continue reading...

Blaine McGraw accused of inappropriately touching and secretly filming patients during appointments on base Another 81 women have joined a civil suit against a US army gynecologist who was recently criminally charged in connection with accusations that he secretly filmed dozens of his patients during medical examinations. The civil lawsuit, which initially began in November, alleges that Blaine McGraw, a doctor and army major at Fort Hood in Texas, repeatedly inappropriately touched and secretly filmed dozens of women during appointments at an on-base medical center. Continue reading...

Notable figures in batch of images include Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Woody Allen and Bill Gates * The latest tranche of Epstein evidence – in pictures House Democrats have published a new tranche of what they called “disturbing” photographs from the estate of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, featuring among others Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the British former royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The 19 photographs in the initial drop – some of which have been seen before – plus another 70 released later Friday afternoon represent a small number of the almost 100,000 images released to the House oversight committee, which is looking

Ex-Fed governor Kevin Warsh is at top of his list to succeed Powell as central bank’s chair, president says in interview Donald Trump declared he “should be listened to” by the Federal Reserve, as he weighs candidates to lead the central bank amid an extraordinary campaign by the White House to exert greater control over its decisions. The US president said on Friday that former Fed governor Kevin Warsh is currently top of his list to chair the central bank. Continue reading...

The European Union on Friday indefinitely froze Russia’s assets in Europe to ensure that Hungary and Slovakia, both with Moscow-friendly governments, cannot prevent the billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine. Using a special procedure meant for economic emergencies, the EU blocked the assets until Russia gives up its war on Ukraine and compensates its neighbour for the heavy damage that it has inflicted for almost four years. EU Council President Antonio Costa said European leaders...

European Union members have observed an uptick in China’s support for Russia, multiple sources said, as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine prepares to drag into its fourth year. Officials are parsing evidence of an increase in battlefield weapons being shipped from China to Russia, to add to the well-documented flow of goods with dual civilian and military uses between the two states. “We note that 80 per cent of critical dual-use goods come to Russia either through or from China. They claim to be...

The reigning Miss Finland, Sarah Dzafce, has lost her title and crown due to a racism scandal, the organisers of the beauty pageant announced on Thursday. They said at a press conference that they accepted no form of racism or discriminatory behaviour and apologised for the incident in a statement. Tara Lehtonen, who finished in second place in the competition, has already been chosen as the new Miss Finland. “I promise to carry this title with pride and deep respect,” the woman from Helsinki...

Democratic lawmakers released a selection of photos from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, including some of now-US President Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the UK’s former prince Andrew. Trump is featured in three of the 19 photos shared by House Oversight Committee Democrats, who said they are reviewing more than 95,000 images produced by the estate. The panel released roughly 70 more photos later on Friday, including images of the disgraced financier’s home, Epstein taking a bath, a...

The European Union will start collecting a three-euro flat fee for each small parcel valued below €150 (US$176) sent directly from a non-EU country to customers in the bloc, following a decision adopted by the EU finance ministers meeting in Brussels on Friday. The move, set to kick in next July, marks a milestone in Europe’s fight, led by France, against the influx of small parcels, mostly from Chinese platforms such as Temu and Shein, entering the union tax free. But how effective these...

A federal judge ordered on Friday that US immigration officials could not detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia, hours after his release from immigration detention. Abrego Garcia was appearing on Friday morning for a scheduled appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office, some 14 hours after he was released from detention on a judge’s orders. His lawyers asked the judge to block authorities from detaining him again. Officials cannot re-detain him until the court conducts a...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the strategic frontline town of Kupiansk on Friday, just as Ukrainian forces reported retaking parts of the railway hub and encircling Russian troops. Standing at the city’s entrance in a bulletproof vest, Zelensky emphasised in a video message that “it is extremely important to achieve results on the front lines so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy”. “Many Russians talked about Kupiansk – we can see. I was here, I congratulated the...

Tom Barrack, the United States special envoy for Syria, recently made waves at an international forum in Doha, Qatar, by suggesting that “benevolent monarchies” might be the most effective form of government for the Middle East. He also suggested that Israel was not a democracy. His remarks were probably welcomed in some parts of the region, but probably less well received by the US and other Western media, which all but consider themselves guardians of proper world opinion. Barrack was just...

The UK is facing an “unprecedented wave of super flu”, a health chief warned on Friday as the health minister urged doctors to call off a threatened five-day strike ahead of Christmas. Wes Streeting said the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) was in an “incredibly precarious situation” as flu cases mounted, and was facing a “challenge unlike any it has seen since the pandemic”. NHS figures published on Thursday showed flu cases at a record level for the time of year. The number of cases...

It is almost eight years since US President Donald Trump first declared that “trade wars are good, and easy to win”. How much longer will it take him and his tariff hawks to eat those words, and acknowledge the crass economic illiteracy of that conviction? How high a price must everyone pay – in particular, US consumers – before he calls off his tariff war? As America’s Christmas shopping season gets into full swing, typically accounting for around one third of US retailers’ annual profits, the...

A Chinese business group has urged the European Union to halt its “discriminatory and disproportionate” use of anti-subsidy probes to target Chinese companies, as Brussels steps up its scrutiny of firms allegedly receiving unfair state subsidies. The EU launched an in-depth foreign subsidy regulation (FSR) investigation against the Chinese security firm Nuctech on Thursday, just days after Brussels reportedly raided the Chinese-invested e-commerce platform Temu’s European headquarters in Dublin...

The United States is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker this week, as it increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, six sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The seizure was the first interdiction of an oil cargo or tanker from Venezuela, which has been under US sanctions since 2019. It came as the US executes a large-scale military build-up in the southern Caribbean and as US President Donald Trump pushes...

A massive international grey market in mobile phone SIM cards is fuelling large-scale manipulation and fraud online, a University of Cambridge study has found. The researchers say physical and virtual SIMs from providers like SMSActivate, 5Sim, SMShub and SMSPVA were being used to verify fake accounts on social media platforms and e-commerce services. “We find a thriving underground market through which inauthentic content, artificial popularity and political influence campaigns are readily and...

Greece’s finance minister was on Thursday named head of the Eurogroup, the body that helps shape euro zone policy, underlining his country’s turnaround since the years when it came close to crashing out of the single currency. Kyriakos Pierrakakis saw off the rival Belgian candidate to become president of the assembly of finance ministers from the 20 countries sharing the euro. Greece had to be bailed out three times between 2010 and 2015 by euro zone governments to avoid economic collapse after...

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China desalination tech makes fresh water cheaper than tap water – plus hydrogen China has launched a revolutionary facility in the eastern province of Shandong that produces fresh water from seawater for just two yuan (US$0.28) per...

Canada’s governing Liberals were one seat short of a simple majority in Parliament after a Conservative lawmaker defected and joined Prime Minister Mark Carney’s party on Thursday. Michael Ma was the second Canadian Conservative opposition lawmaker to join the Liberals in just over a month. Hong Kong-born Ma, who represents Markham–Unionville, said he entered politics “to focus on solutions, not division”. “I have concluded that Prime Minister Mark Carney is offering the steady, practical...

A Hollywood director was convicted on Thursday on charges that he scammed Netflix out of US$11 million for a show that never materialised, while he instead used the cash for lavish purchases that included several Rolls-Royces, a Ferrari and about US$1 million in mattresses and luxury bedding. Carl Erik Rinsch, best known for directing the film 47 Ronin, was convicted of wire fraud, money laundering and other charges, according to court records and a spokesperson for federal prosecutors in New...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is rapidly cementing its position as a global leader in the digital asset sector on the back of its regulatory infrastructure and the institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies, according to industry insiders at the fourth edition of Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW). Speaking at ADFW, the largest financial and investment gathering in the Middle East and North Africa, Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said the UAE had been at the industry’s forefront, as capital city Abu...

The Indiana Senate on Thursday rejected a new congressional map that would have boosted Republican chances of keeping control of the US House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump’s nationwide push to install more favourable maps. The vote represented a rare rebuke to Trump by members of his own party, which he has largely ruled with an iron fist as president. The tally was 31-19 against, with more than half of Republican senators joining...

One-time cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon was sentenced on Thursday to 15 years in prison after a US$40 billion crash revealed his crypto ecosystem to be a fraud. Victims said the 34-year-old financial technology whiz weaponised their trust to convince them that the investment – secretly propped up by cash infusions – was safe. Kwon, a Stanford graduate known by some as “the cryptocurrency king”, apologised after listening as victims – one in court and others by telephone – described the scam’s...

A grand jury declined for a second time to reindict New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday, refusing to resurrect a mortgage fraud prosecution encouraged by US President Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter. It is another major blow to the Justice Department after the dismissal of earlier charges against James and another long-time Trump foe, former FBI director James Comey, in a stunning rebuke of the Trump administration’s efforts to prosecute the...

An oil tanker seized by American forces off the Venezuelan coast will be brought to a port in the United States, the White House said Thursday, as fears mount of open conflict between the two countries. Washington took control of the tanker in a dramatic raid that saw US forces rope down from a helicopter onto the vessel in an operation that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said was aimed at leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s “regime”. President Donald Trump’s administration has...

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday defended her government’s decision to impose new import tariffs, hours after the Senate approved legislation allowing duties of up to 50 per cent on more than 1,400 products from Asian countries. The measure, widely seen as aimed at curbing Chinese imports, comes as Mexico prepares for a review of its trade agreement with the United States and Canada next year. Sheinbaum described the move as part of her administration’s plan to strengthen domestic...

Bulgaria’s prime minister announced on Thursday that his government was resigning after less than a year in office following a series of anti-corruption protests, making fresh elections likely. The Balkan EU member, which is introducing the euro from January, has seen a spiral of elections in recent years, with parties unable to form a stable government. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Bulgaria on Wednesday to protest against the government and corruption in the latest...

President Volodymyr Zelensky has floated the prospect of allowing Ukrainians to vote on whether to hand the Donbas region to Russia as Kyiv comes under mounting pressure to agree to terms of an emerging US peace plan. Moscow has insisted that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the eastern territories, which include areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that the Russian military has failed to capture in its nearly four-year invasion. Zelensky has engaged in talks over the latest peace proposal...

With the end of the year approaching, the European Commission is rapidly ramping up its de-risking efforts through a flurry of broadsides against Chinese firms – even as the bloc’s most powerful member states appear to be moving in different directions on China. Foreign subsidy regulation probes were launched against online retailer Temu and Nuctech, a maker of airport scanning equipment, on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. E-commerce giant Temu saw its Dublin headquarters raided by...

A US judge on Thursday ordered the immediate release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose wrongful deportation became a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, ruling the US government never secured a formal order for his removal from the United States. The order from US District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland means Abrego Garcia will at least temporarily be allowed to return to his Maryland home despite repeated declarations from Trump administration officials that he would never...

More than 600 items, including military medals and jewellery from a collection documenting the links between Britain and countries in the former British Empire, were stolen from a UK museum in September, police said on Thursday. Avon and Somerset Police have launched an appeal for information about four men captured on security cameras on September 25 outside a building in the southwestern city of Bristol, which housed items from the collection. “More than 600 artefacts of various descriptions...

Mexico’s move to place tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Chinese and other Asian goods underscores US efforts to pressure other countries to take action against China – and Beijing may well retaliate, analysts said. The Mexican Senate on Wednesday approved duties between 5 and 50 per cent on 1,463 product categories – including auto parts, textiles and plastics – starting from January 2026. President Claudia Sheinbaum had proposed the tariffs in the name of protecting local industries, subject to...

The “Architects of AI” were named Time magazine’s person of the year for 2025 on Thursday. The magazine cited 2025 as the year when the potential of artificial intelligence “roared into view”, with no turning back. “For delivering the age of thinking machines, for wowing and worrying humanity, for transforming the present and transcending the possible, the Architects of AI are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year,” Time said in a social media post. The magazine was deliberate in selecting people – the...

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two-day state visit to New Delhi last week, for the 23rd Russia-India Summit, was heavy on optics, symbolism and multilayered signals, while tangible outcomes were relatively modest. First and foremost, Putin signalled to the West that Russia is not isolated, despite the US-led criticism of the war his government has unleashed against Ukraine since 2022. In an unusual departure from customary diplomatic practice, three European ambassadors to India – from...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday that US President Donald Trump had been sent a proposal on territorial concessions Ukraine is ready to make to end its war against Russia. Merz said the proposal was sent after he and other European leaders had spoken by phone with Trump on Wednesday. “It mainly concerns the question of what territorial concessions Ukraine is prepared to make,” Merz said. He cautioned however that ultimately “the Ukrainian president and the Ukrainian people have...

Sweeping taxes on imports have cost the average American household nearly US$1,200 since Donald Trump returned to the White House this year, according to calculations by Democrats on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee. Using Treasury Department numbers on revenue from tariffs and Goldman Sachs estimates of who ends up paying for them, the Democrats’ report on Thursday found that American consumers’ share of the bill came to nearly US$159 billion – or US$1,198 per household – from February...

China has urged the Dutch government to push the Netherlands arm of semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia to send personnel to China, Beijing’s commerce ministry said during a press conference on Thursday. The Dutch embassy in China has been asked to urge The Hague’s Ministry of Economic Affairs to “implement the consensus reached in consultations” and encourage the Nijmegen-headquartered company to dispatch its representatives to China “as soon as possible”, ministry spokesman He Yadong...

We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Cantopop icon Alan Tam: from Leslie Cheung’s rival to fans smashing albums For over half a century, Alan Tam Wing-lun has stood as a colossus in Hong Kong show business. “Principal Tam” ruled Cantopop in the late 1970s and 80s but later vexed fans with his offstage actions. Still, he’s going strong today. 2. How does...

US President Donald Trump has deployed thousands of US troops to the Caribbean and warned of strikes on Venezuelan soil. On Wednesday, Trump announced the seizure of an oil tanker in enforcement of unilateral US sanctions. How far could Trump go, and what would be the result? What is the motivation? Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a leftist nemesis of the United States, successfully resisted an attempt during Trump’s first term to oust him through sanctions and diplomatic pressure. Days...

Nobel Peace laureate Maria Corina Machado said on Thursday that the United States helped her get to Norway from hiding in Venezuela, expressing support for US military action against her country and vowing to return home. Machado, who vanished in January after challenging the rule of President Nicolas Maduro, emerged on a hotel balcony in Oslo to cheering supporters early Thursday after several days of confusion over her whereabouts. “We did get support from the United States government to get...

US President Donald Trump has blasted media reports questioning his state of health as “seditious, perhaps even treasonous”, sparking pushback on Wednesday by one of the major outlets behind the stories. In a long, late-night social media post, the oldest elected president in US history raged about stories in The New York Times and elsewhere suggesting that at the age of 79 he is slowing down. “There has never been a President that has worked as hard as me! My hours are the longest, and my...

On December 10, Australia began enforcing the world’s strictest social media age rule: platforms must now verify that users are aged 16 or above, or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$33 million), a bold experiment in returning oversight of childhood from Silicon Valley to democratically elected institutions. The relevant law, passed by the Australian parliament last year, represents more than protectionism or moral panic. It is a deliberate experiment in rebalancing the roles of state,...

Ukraine has sent Washington an updated plan for ending Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday, as US President Donald Trump laid into European leaders in the latest sign of a growing transatlantic rift. A first US plan that involved Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not captured was seen by Kyiv and its European allies as caving in to too many of Russia’s hardline demands, and has since been revised. A Ukrainian official briefed on the latest version said that it “takes...

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as tensions mount with the government of President Nicolas Maduro. Using US forces to take control of a merchant ship is incredibly unusual and marks the Trump administration’s latest push to increase pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the United States. The US has built up the largest military presence in the region in decades and launched a series...

Temu’s European headquarters in Dublin were raided by EU regulators last week on concerns about potential Chinese state subsidies granted to the online retailer, a subsidiary of China’s e-commerce giant PDD Holdings, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Temu did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The raid comes amid increasing concern within the EU over cheap imports from China, as low-value e-commerce shipments have flooded into the bloc thanks to a customs waiver...

Self-driving Waymo taxis have gone viral for negative reasons involving the death of a beloved San Francisco bodega cat and pulling an illegal U-turn in front of police who were unable to issue a ticket to a nonexistent driver. But this week, the self-driving taxis are the bearer of happier news after a San Francisco woman gave birth in a Waymo. The mother was on her way to the University of California, San Francisco medical centre on Monday when she delivered inside the robotaxi, said a Waymo...

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have entered the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo town of Uvira, near the Burundian border, in the biggest escalation in months of the long-running war, sources said on Wednesday. Uvira, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, has served as the headquarters of the Kinshasa-appointed government in South Kivu province and its regional military base since the provincial capital, Bukavu, fell to M23 in February. Control of Uvira could open the way for the rebels to advance...

A federal judge in California on Wednesday ordered an end to Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles and directed that they be returned to the control of the state’s Democratic governor, finding that the Republican US president had exceeded his authority. The ruling by San Francisco-based US District Judge Charles Breyer represented the latest legal setback for Trump in his efforts to deploy National Guard troops to Democratic-controlled cities, an extraordinary use of...

Four Canadian provinces are selling off the American liquor they pulled from shelves in protest over President Trump’s tariffs. Some bourbon drinkers are thrilled.

The images, released without context by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, revealed little new about the deceased sex offender’s ties to prominent men in politics, entertainment and finance.

The Transportation Security Administration is providing passenger lists to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to identify and detain travelers subject to deportation orders.

The Trump administration gave New York 30 days to pause issuing all non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses, among other demands, or risk losing $73 million in highway funds.

A sale of insider shares at $421 a share would make Mr. Musk’s rocket company the most valuable private company in the world, as it readies for a possible initial public offering next year.

The prospect of soaring health care costs could exacerbate Americans’ feelings about affordability, an issue that President Trump has tried to downplay. But Democrats plan to keep the issue front and center.

The hearing was the first concrete step toward repealing some of the state’s vaccine requirements. Rolling back others would require legislative action.

The legislation, expected to come to a vote next week, would make changes that could eventually affect health care costs but are unlikely to immediately curb rising premiums.

Matt Dinniman introduced his series about an alien reality TV show free on the web. But readers ate up the goofy humor, now to the tune of 6 million books sold.

The center at the university’s public health school was also a focus of the Trump administration after having been examined in a Harvard antisemitism report earlier this year.

Three generations of a family built their homes and lives in Sri Lanka’s highland tea country. The biggest storm in decades wiped out their hamlet in a landslide.

Gov. Bob Ferguson and other state officials cautioned that more rainfall was expected after rivers hit record flood levels across the region, while residents worried about the long-term future.

More than 100,000 residents were told to leave their homes across Washington State this week as rivers overflowed.

The British monarch said that his treatment would be reduced in the new year, in a recorded message emphasizing the value of cancer screening.

As more people tune in for the “theater” of high-end auctions, Bonnie Brennan is trying to convert them into clients.

Two columnists debate this strange moment.

Also, T.S.A. is giving passenger data to immigration agents. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.

Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who suffered a head wound in the shooting near the White House last month, has moved from acute care to rehabilitation.

A study of more than 45,000 women found that screening women according to their level of risk was as effective in detecting tumors as the one-size-fits-most screening currently recommended.

The national soccer team made it to the knockout stages of the Arab Cup for the first time, uniting fans from Gaza to the West Bank to Cairo to Arab cities in Israel.

The federal government and earthquake experts blamed a technical glitch for the alert that sent warnings hundreds of miles away last week.