- Hamas releases video of hostage Liri Albag, 19. Parents: ‘This is not the Liri we know’ The Times of Israel
- Hamas Shares Video Of Teen Israeli Hostage, Her Parents Say, "Time To..." NDTV
- Hamas Releases Video of Teenage Israeli Soldier Held Hostage in Gaza The New York Times
- Ex-hostage Yagil Yaakov: Albag video gave me flashbacks to having rifle pointed at me The Jerusalem Post
- Hamas releases video it says is of Israeli hostage held in Gaza since 2023 attack The Guardian
Ethiopia evacuates 80,000 after earthquakes, fears of volcanic eruption – VOA Asia
- Ethiopia evacuates 80,000 after earthquakes, fears of volcanic eruption VOA Asia
- Ethiopia: Thousands evacuate over volcanic eruption fears DW (English)
- Thousands evacuated in Ethiopia due to volcanic activity The Associated Press
- Seismic Shifts: Tremors Spark Government Action The Reporter Ethiopia
- Evacuations underway after 5.8 magnitude earthquake hits Ethiopia Anadolu Agency | English
Days-long funeral procession for Jimmy Carter begins in south Georgia
Motorcade with flag-draped casket heads to boyhood home in Plains before moving to Atlanta, then Washington
Jimmy Carter’s long public goodbye began Saturday in south Georgia, where the 39th US president’s life began more than 100 years ago.
A motorcade with Carter’s flag-draped casket is heading to his hometown of Plains and past his boyhood home on the way to Atlanta. The procession began at the Phoebe Sumter medical center in Americus, where former Secret Service agents who had protected the late president served as pallbearers. A mournful train whistle filled the clear air as the pallbearers turned to face the hearse for a final goodbye, their hands on their hearts.
Continue reading...Russia promises retaliation after saying Ukraine fired US-supplied missiles
Outgoing US President Joe Biden has authorised Kyiv to use the long-range weapons against Russia.
Man dies after 70-metre fall from mountain ridge in Lake District
Callout ends in tragedy after an as yet unnamed person fell on Thursday and their body was recovered by a rescue team
A man has died after falling 70 metres from a mountain ridge.
Keswick Mountain Rescue said its first callout of the year ended in tragedy after the man fell from Sharp Edge on Blencathra in the Lake District on Thursday.
Continue reading...UK weather: power cuts, traffic chaos and cancelled flights due to heavy snow
Closed roads, multi-vehicle collisions and train problems reported as Met Office warnings remain in place
Homes were left without power, roads were closed, cars stranded, and flights and train services disrupted on Saturday as heavy snow and freezing rain hit much of the UK.
The National Grid said on Saturday night that power was cut to properties across the Midlands, south-west England and south Wales, including Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, and that work was under way to get services restored.
Continue reading...Indie film-maker Jeff Baena dies aged 47
Husband of actor Aubrey Plaza was known for writing and directing Life After Beth and co-writing I Heart Huckabees
Independent director and screenwriter Jeff Baena – who was known for quirky hits such as Life After Beth and was the husband of that flick’s star, Aubrey Plaza – has died, according to reports. Baena was 47.
The Los Angeles medical examiner said that Baena died on Friday at his home in that city at about 10.39am local time. Officials did not immediately provide Baena’s cause or manner of death.
Continue reading...‘We’ve been at this rodeo before’: gun-safety groups prepare for second Trump term
With ‘the best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House’ to return, gun-safety groups eye state level actions
Donald Trump’s imminent return to Washington has put gun-safety groups on high alert, as the president-elect once described himself as “the best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House”.
Emma Brown, executive director of the gun-safety group Giffords, initially reacted to the news of Trump’s victory in the presidential race not with dismay, but with defiance.
Continue reading...Pope Francis says bullying at school prepares students for war, not peace – The Associated Press
Trump Slams UK’s ‘Very Big Mistake’ on North Sea Energy Policy – Bloomberg
- Trump Slams UK’s ‘Very Big Mistake’ on North Sea Energy Policy Bloomberg
- Trump calls on Britain to dismantle North Sea wind turbines Yahoo! Voices
- Starmer Seeks to Stifle Critics Including Musk in Pivotal Year Bloomberg
- Trump accused of attacking UK energy policies on behalf of fossil fuel industry The Guardian
- Trump Returns To a Bizarre Obsession in Midnight Message: ‘Get Rid of Windmills!’ The Daily Beast
Protesters march in London for release of teenage boy in Dubai jail
Marcus Fakana from north London was convicted of having sex with British girl, now 18, when they were on holiday
Protesters have marched through central London calling for the release of a teenager in prison in Dubai for having sex with a 17-year-old British girl.
Marcus Fakana, from Tottenham in north London, was jailed last month after being convicted of having sex with the girl, who has now turned 18, when they were on holiday in September.
Continue reading...What is a state funeral and who will attend Jimmy Carter’s?
America's goodbye to its 39th president - which will include a stop at the US Capitol - has officially begun.
Russia-appointed officials in Crimea declare emergency as oil spill reaches Sevastopol – The Associated Press
- Russia-appointed officials in Crimea declare emergency as oil spill reaches Sevastopol The Associated Press
- Russia warns of severe environmental damage as oil from damaged tankers washes up on beaches The Associated Press
- What does a huge oil spill in Russia mean for the environment? Euronews
- Oil From Damaged Russian Tankers Reaches Sevastopol in Annexed Crimea The Moscow Times
- Russia declares emergency in Crimea after Black Sea oil spill Yahoo! Voices
Ukraine waits for Trump the dealmaker to broker end of Putin’s war | Shaun Walker in Kyiv
The US president-elect’s policy on the conflict may prove decisive, but appeasing both sides will be a challenge
A new year in Ukraine began in much the same way as the old one finished: with deadly Russian drone attacks across the country. In Kyiv, one person was killed and at least six others were injured in the first few hours of 2025.
It is Ukraine’s third new year since Russia’s invasion. If 2023 began with hopes high that Ukrainian battlefield gains would push Russia back and lead to an outright victory, by the start of 2024 the Ukrainian army and population were already settled in for the long haul and had few illusions about a quick victory.
Continue reading...William shocked by death of ex-nanny’s stepson in New Orleans attack
The Prince of Wales said his "thoughts and prayers" were with the family of Edward Pettifer, who was among 14 killed.
William shocked by death of ex-nanny’s stepson in New Orleans attack
The Prince of Wales said his "thoughts and prayers" were with the family of Edward Pettifer, who was among 14 killed.
Thousands of rival protesters rally in Seoul after Yoon Suk Yeol avoids arrest
Crowds gather outside South Korean presidential residence where suspended leader is protected by security officers
Thousands of rival South Korean protesters have rallied in the capital a day after a failed attempt to arrest the country’s suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, for imposing a short-lived martial law decree that led to his impeachment.
The country has been plunged into political chaos since last month, with Yoon defiantly holed up in the presidential residence surrounded by hundreds of loyal security officers who have so far resisted efforts by prosecutors to arrest him.
Continue reading...Washington Post cartoonist resigns over paper’s refusal to publish cartoon critical of Jeff Bezos
Pulitzer prize winner Ann Telnaes drew a cartoon of the paper’s owner kneeling before Donald Trump
The Washington Post’s Pulitzer prize-winning editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes has resigned from her position at the newspaper after its refusal to publish a satirical cartoon depicting the outlet’s owner Jeff Bezos – along with other media and technology barons – kneeling before Donald Trump as he gears up for his second US presidency.
“I have had editorial feedback and productive conversations – and some differences – about cartoons I have submitted for publication, but in all that time I’ve never had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at,” Telnaes wrote on Friday in an online post on the Substack platform detailing her decision to quit. “Until now.”
Continue reading...World’s oldest person, Tomiko Itooka, dies in Japan aged 116
Itooka, who died at a care home in Ashiya, enjoyed bananas and had been a keen mountain climber
A Japanese woman who was the world’s oldest living person has died at the age of 116.
Tomiko Itooka, who was awarded the Guinness World Record status last year, died on 29 December at a care home in Ashiya, Hyogo prefecture in central Japan.
Continue reading...Man arrested over fatal alleged hit-and-run in Paisley
Police say 18-year-old released pending further inquiries over death of Elizabeth Kennedy, 70, on New Year’s Eve
An 18-year-old man has been arrested after a woman died during an alleged hit-and-run incident in Renfrewshire on New Year’s Eve.
Elizabeth Kennedy, 70, was pronounced dead at the scene after being struck by a car on Barrhead Road in Paisley at 7pm on Tuesday.
Continue reading...