From Thuc Nhi Nguyen:Austin Reaves returned from a left calf strain that sidelined him for three games, but the Lakers’ second-leading scorer did nothing to fix the team’s most glaring weakness.
The Lakers’ defense collapsed in a 132-108 loss to the Suns on Tuesday at Mortgage Matchup Center, giving up a season-high field goal percentage (59%) and tying their mark for most points allowed this season. Led by a combined 17-for-29 shooting from star guard Devin Booker (21 points) and Dillon Brooks (25 points), the Suns easily eclipsed the 56.5% they shot against the Lakers on Dec. 1.
“The theme with our team again is like these young teams that move, we just can’t move,” said coach JJ Redick, whose team is 1-2 against the Suns (16-13). “So it’s like we’re stuck in mud.”
The Lakers (19-9) remain in the top half of the competitive Western Conference, but with blowout losses to Atlanta, Oklahoma City and San Antonio, L.A. is clinging to a plus-1.1 in point differential. They lost consecutive games for the first time Tuesday and limped into a marquee Christmas Day matchup against the Houston Rockets with a multitude of injuries.
Playing without Luka Doncic, who is day to day with a left leg contusion he sustained Saturday against the Clippers, LeBron James led the Lakers with 23 points on seven-for-14 shooting. Deandre Ayton had a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double while Reaves came off the bench for the first time in two seasons and scored 17 points with two assists and three turnovers.
Redick said Reaves was not on an official minutes restriction after his weeklong absence, but that the team would monitor his workload “in real time.”
“It’s hard for me to start, at the rotation that Bron has, for me to stay around that 20-25 minute mark,” said Reaves, who played 21 minutes and 46 seconds. “So [coming off the bench] got brought up in my shooting time. I said I was open to whatever. Definitely felt weird coming off the bench, but it’s basketball at the end of the day.”
Mick Cronin tinkers with UCLA’s lineup ahead of rout
UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau makes a move to the basket against UC Riverside forward Osiris Grady on Tuesday.
(Jan Kim Lim / UCLA Athletics)
From Ben Bolch: Facing an overmatched opponent that allowed him to freely tinker with his lineups, UCLA coach Mick Cronin tried plenty of mixing and matching Tuesday afternoon.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway was that a three-guard lineup might be the way to go after the continued struggles of centers Xavier Booker and Steven Jamerson II.
“We’ve got to find a way to play our best players and win, whoever they are, because it’s not Little League,” Cronin said after his team’s 97-65 victory over UC Riverside at Pauley Pavilion. “You’ve either got to give us some rebounding and defense or somebody else has got to play.”
The leading candidates for a larger role based on what happened against the Highlanders appear to be reserves Trent Perry, Jamar Brown and Brandon Williams.
Kings coach Jim Hiller watches from the bench during a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.
(Luke Hales / Getty Images)
From Kevin Baxter: January has traditionally been the harshest time of the year for the Kings, who haven’t had a winning record in that month the last three seasons. But winter grew dark and gloomy a little earlier than usual because December has hardly been a walk in the park.
With Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken, the Kings head into the NHL’s three-day Christmas break having lost six of their last seven. And things aren’t getting easier any time soon: when the team returns to the ice Saturday, it will play host to the Ducks, who lead the Pacific Division in wins, before closing out 2025 Monday on the road against the Colorado Avalanche, who lead the NHL in wins.
“It’s not going the way we all want to,” forward Kevin Fiala said. “But you know, that’s going to happen for everybody. So it’s us who have to do something about it. Who can pull us out of it? Nobody else.
“I’m not worried. Like, I’m sure we’re gonna get out of this. But it’s not acceptable right now.”
Leonard shot 16 for 23 from the field and four for five from long distance as the Clippers won consecutive games for just the second time this season. The Clippers were coming off a 103-88 win over the Lakers on Saturday that broke a five-game skid. The Clippers also won consecutive games Oct. 24-26, against Phoenix and Portland.
Harden, who shot seven for 14 from the field and three for eight from long distance, was helped by 12-for-13 shooting from the line.
John Collins and Kobe Sanders added 13 points apiece and Kris Dunn scored 11 for the Clippers (8-21), who shot 54% (20 for 37) from three-point range.
Stafford, 37, has passed for a league leading 4,179 yards and 40 touchdowns, with five interceptions, for a Rams team that is 11-4 and currently seeded sixth for the NFC playoffs. The Rams play at the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night in the second-to-last game of the regular season. Stafford also made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2023.
Quarterbacks Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys also made the NFC roster.
Herbert, receiving Pro Bowl recognition for the second time, is the third player in NFL history to begin a career with six consecutive seasons with at least 3,000 yards passing and 20 touchdowns.
Lindsey Vonn qualifies for the Winter Olympics at 41
U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn competes in a World Cup super-G race in Val d’Isere, France, on Sunday.
(Pier Marco Tacca / Associated Press)
From Steve Henson: It’s been one surprise after another lately from Lindsey Vonn. And the announcement that the 41-year-old slopes queen has qualified for the Milano Cortina Olympics in February isn’t the last of it.
It might have been her post on Instagram that stated unequivocally that this will be the end.
“I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my 5th and final Olympics!” Vonn said.
Vonn’s remarkable and inspiring comeback from injuries and a seven-year hiatus from top-level competitive skiing has injected the U.S. team narrative with an irresistible story line. That her quest will culminate in the mountains of northern Italy just two months from now will make it must-watch television and social media video.
Venus Williams competes in a quarterfinal doubles match at the U.S. Open in September.
(Heather Khalifa / Associated Press)
From Andrew J. Campa: Tennis legend Venus Williams wed Danish model and actor Andrea Preti over the weekend in Florida, the new bride announced in a shared post.
An Instagram post from Vogue Magazine’s Weddings section announced the nuptials, with the message garnering more than 30,000 likes as of Tuesday afternoon.
“We all love each other so much,” Williams, 45, said in the Vogue post. “It was just the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day.”
The post was scant on details other than the event took place over five days in and around the couple’s home in Palm Beach Gardens.
An aerial view of the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, shown during 1930 World Cup tournament.
(Associated Press)
From Kevin Baxter: Next summer’s World Cup will be the largest, most complex and most lucrative sporting event in history, with 48 teams playing 104 games in three countries. The tournament is expected to draw a global TV audience of nearly 5 billion and FIFA, the event’s organizer, is hoping for revenues of between $10 billion-$14 billion — which is why lower-bowl tickets for Iran-New Zealand at SoFi Stadium cost nearly $700.
All that seemed unlikely after the first tournament in 1930, when the idea of a soccer World Cup was nearly killed in the cradle, the victim from lack of planning, lack of money and lack of interest. That the competition survived, much less thrived, is nothing short of a miracle, says English writer and podcaster Jonathan Wilson, author of the deeply researched “The Power and Glory: The History of the World Cup.”
“1930, it’s incredibly amateurish in many ways,” Wilson said. “It’s got that sort of almost like a school sports day feel to it.”
1950 — Cleveland’s Otto Graham throws four touchdown passes, despite icy footing in Municipal Stadium, and Lou Groza kicks a 16-yard field goal with 28 seconds left to give the Browns a 30-28 victory over the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL title in their first year in the league.
1961 — George Blanda’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Billy Cannon gives the Houston Oilers a 10-3 victory over the San Diego Chargers for their second AFL title.
1967 — New York’s Joe Namath becomes the first player to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. Namath passes for 343 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Jets to a 42-31 win at San Diego. Namath finishes the year with 4,007 yards.
1997 — In one of the biggest upsets in college basketball, Division II American-Puerto defeats the No. 12 Arkansas Razorbacks 64-59 in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic.
2000 — Marshall Faulk breaks Emmitt Smith’s NFL record for touchdowns, scoring three times to give him 26 for the St. Louis Rams. Faulk’s three touchdowns and 220 yards fuels a 26-21 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
2003 — Steven Jackson ties a bowl game record with five touchdowns, and Oregon State’s defense overwhelms mistake-plagued New Mexico in a 55-14 win at the Las Vegas Bowl.
2006 — Colt Brennan sets the NCAA single-season record for touchdown passes at 58, throwing five in the second half to lead Hawaii to a 41-24 victory over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl. Brennan, 33-of-42 for 559 yards, breaks the previous mark of 54 set by Houston’s David Klingler in 1990.
2011 — David Akers kicks his way into the NFL record book and the San Francisco 49ers hold off Seattle for a 19-17 win. Akers makes four field goals to give him 42 this season, breaking the NFL mark of 40 set by Neil Rackers in 2005 with Arizona.
2014 — Western Kentucky holds on to defeat Central Michigan 49-48 in a wild inaugural Bahamas Bowl. Central Michigan trails 49-14 entering the fourth quarter before Cooper Rush engineers a comeback. He throws four touchdown passes in the final minutes, and the Chippewas get the ball back at their own 25 with one second remaining. Rush completes a pass to Jesse Kroll, and the ball is lateraled three times before Titus Davis dove into the pylon for a touchdown with no time remaining. CMU elects to go for two, only to have the pass drop incomplete.
2016 — With a 41-3 rout of the New York Jets, Bill Belichick earns his 200th regular-season victory in New England, making him the fifth coach in NFL history to reach the milestone with one team.
2016 — Cleveland survives a last-second field-goal attempt and gets its first victory after 14 losses by beating the San Diego Chargers 20-17. When San Diego’s Josh Lambo misses a 45-yard field-goal attempt as time expires, the Browns (1-14) win for the first time in 377 days.
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
THE Canary Islands are one of the most popular holiday destinations for Brits with Tenerife and Gran Canaria being some of the most well-known.
However, there’s one island that most won’t have visited or perhaps even heard of with ragged coastlines, black sand beaches and natural pools.
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El Hierro is known for its natural landscape with high mountain peaks and small villagesCredit: Getty ImagesThe island receives much fewer visitors than its neighbours
Unlike its neighbours, the island of El Hierro offers a peaceful, nature-filled break rather than one for parties and cheap bars.
Off the coast of the island are diving reserves, natural pools and further inland, you can hike up volcanic trails.
The island will be much less busy than the other Canary Islands too as it only gets between 20,000 to 30,000 visitors each year.
In comparison, Tenerife attractions around 7million tourists each year, while Gran Canaria welcomes around 4.7million.
As Brits we often seek out sun, and El Hierro is sunny and warm for most of the year as it sits on theMorocco-Western Sahara border.
Temperatures tend not to dip below 15C and in January it can be as hot as 20C – in comparison it tends to sit between 3-6C in the UK.
Timon van Basten has lived in Spain for the last five years and works as a tour guide in the country and he recommends a trip to El Hierro.
Timon told Euro News: “The tiny, remote island has an end-of-the-world vibe with lava flows, volcanic craters, and lush cliffs plunging into the Atlantic.
Most read in Beach holidays
“Explore at your own pace, with quaint towns, secluded beaches, and tranquil hiking trails to discover.”
When it comes to popular attractions on the island, a top one is the El Tamaduste Pool.
Along the coastline are natural swimming pools like Charco AzulCredit: Alamy
It’s a natural swimmingpool in a sheltered bay in the village of Tamaduste.
Visitors can take a dip in the pool while being protected by the strong sea waves. Aside from swimming, visitors can also enjoy water sports like diving or paddle boarding.
Another natural pool is Charco Azul which is one of the most famous and sits on the north of the island with a huge rock acting as the barrier between the pool and the sea.
Another is the viewpoint called Mirador de la Peña which overlooks a huge landslide valley with views across the sweeping coastline.
Of course there are plenty of beaches, some of the most popular are Playa de Tacorón, which is ideal for families.
There’s alsoPlaya del Verodal, the largest beach the island which has incredible sunset views, but not so good for swimming due to strong currents.
The beaches have either red or black sandCredit: Alamy
There aren’t any white or golden sandy beaches on the island because of volcanic activity.
El Hierro’s sands are rich in iron, causing it to turn red, and the black granules are created from volcanic glass.
Cala de Tacorón beach is the hidden gem of the island with soft red sands and as it’s in a cove, has much calmer waves.
If you fancy getting a souvenir, there are stalls and street markets dotted around El Hierro where you can buy jewellery, homemade gifts, as well as locally produced honey, wines and cheeses.
To get to El Hierro from the UK, you’ll need to fly to another Canary Island like Tenerife or Gran Canaria and take a connecting flight.
From Tenerife to the neighbouring island, flights take just 40-minutes, or 55-minutes from Gran Canaria.
Another option is to take a connecting ferry which from Tenerife takes just over two hours.
Here’s why one man loves the Canary Islands from award-winning restaurants to its beautiful beaches…
One man who has visited over 100 countries reveals that the one place he always goes back to is the Canary Islands…
“It’s the world’s most varied archipelago – on Tenerife alone you can party at the world’s second biggest carnival, bash around the world’s best waterpark (Siam Park) and climb a mountain almost three times higher than Britain’s Ben Nevis.
“La Graciosa could be on a different planet. There are no tarmac roads, nevermind an airport.
“It’s a brilliant escape from the modern world, hiking and cycling around rough tracks, up volcanoes and out to windswept beaches.
“You can still tuck into British comfort food across the resorts, but there is far more to savour today. Lanzarote and Gran Canaria boast Michelin star restaurants and foodies flock to Tenerife to dine at eight Michelin star restaurants.
“Tenerife boasts more Michelin stars than Wales and the Royal Hideaway Corales Resort has more stars than any hotel in Spain with four. And Tenerife just keeps winning stars. This year Il Bocconcino snared a star.
“Tenerife is not my favourite island for beaches – I prefer the third largest isle, Fuerteventura.
“The Parque Natural de Corralejo boasts mile upon mile of Sahara-esque dunes and gorgeous beaches.
“It’s just south of Corralejo, a resort popular with Brits and is easily my favourite Canarian resort.”
Justice Minister Chung Sung-ho and Unification Minister Chung Dong-young exchange greetings during a plenary session at the National Assembly on the 23rd. Photo by Asia Today
Dec. 23 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Tuesday it will move quickly to decide and implement a change to the official term used for North Korean defectors, replacing it with “North Korean migrants.”
A Unification Ministry official told reporters the ministry plans to reach a conclusion and proceed “as soon as possible” on the terminology change.
The ministry previously said in a work briefing for President Lee Jae-myung on Friday that it would pursue revising the designation. During that briefing, Lee, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and Unification Minister Chung Dong-young used the term “North Korean migrants” instead of “North Korean defectors,” according to the report.
Chung said at the meeting that defectors broadly reject the current term “defector,” but the report said a significant number are also voicing opposition to “North Korean migrants.”
The Unification Ministry publicly raised the idea of changing the designation in September and conducted opinion polling, but the results have not been released, the report said.
Tips for flying with a toddler that I actually found useful as a first-time mum – The Mirror
Need to know
There are so many tips for flying with a toddler out there so when I took my toddler on our first solo flight together I listened – here are the ones that I actually found useful
Some tips from fellow parents came in handy(Image: Getty Images/Cavan Images RF)
Useful tips for flying with a toddler
As a first-time mum, the idea of flying with my toddler for the first time was quite daunting – but a few travel tips from fellow parents were absolute game changers.
Invest in a travel pram: If you’re going to be travelling regularly, a pram that can easily be unfolded one-handed or zip through narrow airport queues etc makes all the difference. I had the Stokke YOYO which was brilliant as it was easy to manoeuvre, not to mention it didn’t take long when airport security needed to scan it. Most airlines let you take the pram up to the gate, but as I was solo parenting, I decided to pay extra to have it in the cabin on my easyJet flight, a choice which proved handy when we landed and my son just wanted to run off in every direction.
Lean on cabin crew if you need to: I was so worried that I’d be an annoying passenger, but crew were actually really helpful in helping me put my pram in the overhead lockers, and assisting with explaining how the baby’s extender belt worked. The most stressful part for me was boarding/getting off the plane, and asking for help was daunting but staff were more than happy to accommodate (I suspect because it then made the process smoother as I wasn’t blocking other passengers).
Distraction is key: Pack fidget toys and snacks, as well as toys that can be ‘stuck’ to the tray table and not hurled across the aisle. One fellow mum told me to remember that the airport/plane is an exciting and stimulating place for toddlers – so I leant on that too, and it turned out that the highlight of my toddler’s flight was intently staring at the safety card in the plane seat!
Ears popping: A tricky one here as it depends on your child, but I had come prepared with a bottle of milk and a sippy cup, which I encouraged him to drink during take-off and landing to help ease the sensation.
Don’t stress about other passengers: This was easily the best advice I was given. I was so conscious of getting in the way/my child being loud/trying to stop him disturbing others. The reality is that, unless you’ve got a kid who’s actively kicking someone’s chair, most passengers don’t care. In fact, a lot of people around me turned into free babysitters because they pulled faces at my child and chatted to him. I was conscious to make sure he wasn’t in their way, but most people on a flight are in their own little world anyway!
Beware the baby change: Annoyingly, in a lot of airports, baby change facilities don’t necessarily have toilets in them for adults. That meant that once I’d changed my toddler’s nappy, I then had to navigate the queue into the ladies’ toilets, and then figure out where to leave my pram and bags outside the cubicle. One mum previously suggested putting key valuables in a smaller handbag that was on my person, so at least I could leave the bulkier bags outside in the pram.
Have you got any great travel tips to share for parents? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com .
IF you’re off on a £9.50 Holiday with the family to Sussex, you’ll be happy to hear that there’s plenty to keep your whole crew entertained.
Of course, you can easily spend your time on the beaches, which don’t cost a penny to visit.
There’s a whole raft of family-friendly activities near your holiday park by the coast, including Brighton Palace PierCredit: Getty
West Wittering, Brighton Beach and Camber Sands are among the top-rated beaches for families.
But if the weather doesn’t play ball, or if you’ve already had your fill of sandcastle building, then there’s a whole raft of family-friendly activities near your holiday park by the coast.
Maybe the arcades and fun fair rides of Brighton Palace Pier are calling you, or perhaps it’s the animals and all-ages play areas at the top-rated Drusillas Park.
We’ve chatted to local experts and Sun readers who have already enjoyed a £9.50 Holiday in Sussex to get their top tips on the family attractions that are worth visiting.
From thrilling water parks to pirate festivals, here’s what they recommend…
Make a splash
If you have older kids in tow, why not let them burn off steam with something that will really get their adrenaline pumping?
Georgie Radford-Brown, Assistant Guest Experience Manager at Camber Sands Holiday Park recommends Rye Water Sports.
She said: “It’s an action water park that’s really close to us. They have a variety of water sports, like sailing, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding.”
The location will also put parents’ minds at ease – lessons take place on a safe inland lake between Rye and Camber Sands.
The centre runs everything from board hire (from £20) to holiday clubs for children aged eight to 15 (one day from £85 including sailing, windsurfing and paddle boarding).
Meanwhile, in West Sussex, Chichester Watersports has an aqua park, complete with inflatable slides and jumps in the water. Suitable from age seven, a 50-minute session costs £20.
Hastings Pirate Weekend is packed with family-friendly activities, like a treasure hunt, free kids’ tattoos and craft workshopsCredit: Getty
Get on your bike
For something that will burn energy without burning a hole in your pocket, head to one of the brilliant cycle paths in Sussex.
If you have your own bike, they are also completely free to explore, and the traffic-free terrain also works well for families with prams.
The South Coast East route takes you along the seafront – you could start at Worthing and extend it to Shoreham, Lancing or Brighton depending on how far you want to go.
Alternatively, start at Shoreham-by-Sea and head inland past woods, streams and rivers on the Downs Link.
For a quick trip, you can hire a Donkey Bike via the app (from £1.80 for 30 minutes), or try Riverside South Downs who rent bikes from £20 for two hours.
Meet pirates in Hastings
Sun reader Nora Hinds, 69, from Hounslow, recommends visiting Hastings during the annual Pirate Festival.
She said: “Hastings is brilliant for live music, with lots of events on the seafront like the pirate festival.
“It’s very popular, and you can pop into one of the nice pubs along the front – the best are located in the Old Town like The Crown and Ye Old Pumphouse.
“Some of the pirate events happen in these pubs like live music and themed roast dinners.”
Hastings Pirate Weekend is packed with family-friendly activities, like a treasure hunt, free kids’ tattoos and craft workshops.
To learn more about pirates, head to The Shipwreck Museum. It’s free to enter and kids will love touching artefacts from many ships wrecked in the English Channel.
In East Sussex, take the family for a ride on a railway that’s been in use for over 100 years, the Kent and East Sussex RailwayCredit: Getty
Spark their curiosity
Museums don’t have to be boring – especially if they have children’s activities on tap. Sue Mercer, 62, from Pagham recommends The Novium Museum for families.
Built on top of the remains of a Roman bathhouse in Chichester, it’s free to enter (though donations are welcome) and has oodles to make learning fun, such as hands-on workshops about everything from the Stone Ages to the Saxons.
Kids can try on costumes, handle real artefacts and even join in organised sleepovers at the museums, complete with torchlit treasure hunts and bedtime stories.
There’s nothing like a train ride to keep the kids entertained.
And there’s a whole host of options near your £9.50 Holiday in Sussex.
Sue Mercer recommends taking the kids to Hotham Park in Bognor Regis, which has a miniature railway, plus a boating lake, crazy golf and Alice in Wonderland wooden sculptures.
Meanwhile, in East Sussex, take the family for a ride on a railway that’s been in use for over 100 years, the Kent and East Sussex Railway (£53 for a family of four).
West Wittering, Brighton Beach and Camber Sands are among the top-rated beaches for families in SussexCredit: Getty
WITH its wide open beaches, vibrant seaside towns and cathedral-studded cities, Lincolnshire makes for a perfect UK getaway.
Add to that brilliant food and drink options, incredible natural wonders and family-friendly attractions, and it’s no wonder the East Midlands county is one of the top destinations for 9.50 holidaymakers.
Thanks to beaches like Mablethorpe, pictured, Lincolnshire is one of the top destinations for 9.50 holidaymakersCredit: GettySeaside towns like Mablethorpe, Skegness, Cleethorpes (pictured) and Ingoldmells are consistently highly rated and hark back to traditional bucket-and-spade holidaysCredit: Getty
In fact, there are so many great places to explore near your £9.50 Holiday park that the hardest question will be: where to visit first?
The coast is unmissable. Long, sandy beaches ripple for more than 50 miles along the eastern shore of England from the Humber to the Wash.
If you prefer your wildlife-watching somewhere cosy with a cuppa, the North Sea Observatory is free to enter and makes for a brilliant wet weather option, too.
Keen to dabble in history? Then Lincoln Castle, around an hour’s drive from the coast, should be top of your list.
It contains one of only four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta, as well as having medieval walls, dungeons and towers to explore.
While in the city, you can soak up more history at the Cathedral or swing by Louth with its historic market.
It may be the birthplace of the Lincolnshire sausage, but there’s far more to this county on a culinary level.
Of course, you’ll find a decent carvery like The Beck in Mablethorpe and budget-friendly cafes like Cosy Corner Cafe in Skegness.
But there are also cafes with quirky touches you won’t find elsewhere, like the 1940s-style Blitz Tea Room.
Top chippies are hard to whittle down in this part of the world, but good places to start include Salts Fish & Chip Shop in Skegness and The Marina Fish & Chips in Chapel St Leonards.
Meanwhile, Hardys Fish & Chips and Meggies, both in Cleethorpes, are also highly rated chip shops – with prices that won’t break the bank.
A top tip for a pint on the beach is to make for somewhere like the Admiral Benbow, which has a bar in a boat on the sand at Chapel St Leonards.
For families seeking a day out, there’s everything from seal sanctuaries and wildlife parks to explore.
Hubbard’s Hills is a good budget option, costing just £1 to park before you access picnic areas, dog walking trails and a cafe with a play area.
Meanwhile, Rand Farm Park not only offers indoor and outdoor play areas and a variety of animals to meet and help feed, it also offers childcare should you need some time to yourself on your holiday (book ahead).
Lincoln Castle, around an hour’s drive from the coast, contains one of only four surviving original copies of the Magna CartaCredit: GettyLong, sandy beaches ripple for more than 50 miles along the eastern shore of England from the Humber to the WashCredit: Alamy
Barin Kayaoglu, of the Social Sciences University of Ankara, says that a Libyan general’s plane crash in Turkiye is unlikely to impact the broader framework of Turkiye’s role in Libya.
If it began to sound a lot like Christmas earlier than usual this year, it wasn’t your imagination.
Halloween wasn’t even over before Spotify users began curating songs about mistletoe, snow and presents under the tree.
Holiday playlists created on Spotify in the U.S. jumped 60% in October over last year, the Swedish audio company said. Some Spotify users started crafting holiday playlists as early as summer.
“It’s a combination of wanting to feel good and nostalgia, and these are testing times,” said Talia Kraines, editorial lead for pop at Spotify. “Somehow Christmas music brings comfort and I think that’s a real part of it.”
Indeed, eight of the top 10 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for the week that ended Saturday were Christmas songs, with the top five being familiar holiday classics, including Mariah Carey’s 1994 hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Brenda Lee’s 1958 recording of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” released in 1984.
On-demand streams for holiday music in the U.S. increased 27% to 8.3 billion this year, compared to a year ago, according to L.A.-based data firm Luminate.
The popularity of music streaming has helped to fuel a surge in users seeking out more holiday music, and earlier in the year.
The change has been driven by technology. In the pre-streaming era, consumers would play Christmas music through CDs and, records or catch tunes on the radio during the winter months.
But the rise of Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services opened the floodgates by offering large libraries of songs on demand.
The new platforms created and marketed holiday playlists, making it easier for consumers to discover seasonal songs and add new ones to their own song collections.
“You used to have a bunch of Christmas albums around and rotate them through as you’re decorating the house or wrapping the presents,” said Dave Bakula, vice president of analytics and data insights at Iconic Artists Group. “The availability of all the music, all the time is such an incredible gift that streaming services have given us.”
For musicians and record labels, holiday music also has taken on growing importance.
Vince Szydlowski, executive vice president of commerce at Universal Music Enterprises, the centralized global catalog division of Universal Music Group, said he starts planning the year’s campaign for holiday music in January.
“For UMG and many of the artists that you associate with holiday music, it will be the most important time of the year, without a doubt,” Szydlowski said. “In some cases, especially with certain legendary artists, it could make or break their year.”
Artist Brenda Lee performs at the “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” concert at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville in 2015.
(Laura Roberts / Invision / AP)
One campaign Universal Music Enterprises worked on was promoting Elton John’s 1973 holiday song “Step into Christmas.” The song was featured in Amazon Prime Video’s holiday movie “Oh. What. Fun,” starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
John posted viral social media videos with the song playing in the background that drew more than 100 million views.
Those efforts helped boost the track’s consumption by 44% this year compared to last year, according to Universal Music Group, citing data from Luminate.
“It’s a very comprehensive campaign in which to continue to boost that track visibility among the holiday perennials,” Szydlowski said.
Many of the popular Christmas songs in the U.S. date back decades, making it challenging for new, original holiday songs to break through.
The holidays are an important time for older artists like Brenda Lee, whose rendition of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” remains a winter hit.
In November 2023, Lee’s version of the song topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for the first time, 65 years after the song’s debut, making Lee, then 79, the oldest woman to top the Hot 100, according to UMG.
Then there are artists like the late Nat King Cole, known for hits like the holiday classic “The Christmas Song,” and Dean Martin, who died in 1995 and whose rendition of “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” is especially popular during winter months.
Nat King Cole in 1963. “The Christmas Song” became one of his enduring hits.
(Capitol Records Archives)
Another source of appeal for Christmas music is that it‘s timeless.
It isn’t really affected by trends and the songs highlight themes like love, hope, joy and family that remind us of our friends, family and past Christmases, said Jimmy Edwards, president of Iconic Artists Group.
“It’s the one music that you can share it together from any age. As Nat would say, from one to 92, right?” Edwards said, referencing a lyric from Cole’s “The Christmas Song.” “Those emotional bonds you have with that music stay with you forever … It promotes the best of us and all the good things. That’s why people love it so much.”
Ben Stokes admitted he is going through his “toughest time” as England captain as he called for “empathy” towards this team-mates.
The tourists’ awful Ashes series has been dogged by reports of excessive drinking.
England are already 3-0 down after three Tests against Australia, with the chance of regaining the urn gone and the risk of a humiliating clean sweep in the final two Tests.
Later on the same day, a video emerged on social media appearing to show opener Ben Duckett drunk.
The BBC has not verified the video, while the England and Wales Cricket Board said it would “establish the facts”.
With England preparing to play the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Boxing Day, Stokes told BBC Sport: “This is probably the toughest time right now as an England captain that I’ll have.
“I’m not going to run away from it. I feel like I will lead for the rest of this trip how I think I can help guys get through it.”
Stokes would not be drawn on the allegations about Duckett.
Asked about the scrutiny on his team-mates, he added: “We’ve got other guys who play all three formats and spend a lot more time away from home than others.
“It is very gruelling and it is tough when you’re here, there and everywhere.
“I know people have got things a lot worse than what we do. You have to deal with the emotions of being away [and] the scrutiny that you are under, in particular when things aren’t going well.
“Everything just gets heightened, but there needs to be a little bit of empathy towards stuff that people might not quite understand, but I guess if you’re not in it and you’re not amongst it, it is hard to understand that.
“But just in this moment right now, I think a little bit of empathy from everyone would be not too hard to think about, if that makes sense.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky countenanced giving up territory in exchange for peace for the first time, via a free economic zone mechanism, as he laid out the detail of a plan fleshed out in talks in Florida at the weekend. File photo by Nadja Wohlleben/EPA
Dec. 24 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled a 20-point peace plan hammered out in negotiations in Miami over the weekend that provides strong NATO-style security guarantees in exchange for land concessions. He said the plan was now being reviewed by Moscow.
Detailing the plan on Tuesday, Zelensky said “the main framework” included affirmation of Kyiv’s sovereignty, a non-aggression pact, a means to monitor the final border, Ukraine‘s non-nuclear status and limits on its military to 800,000 troops, The Kyiv Independent and RBC-Ukraine reported.
The plan also contains Ukraine-U.S.-Europe security guarantees, U.S.-Ukraine security guarantees, and a 15-year plan for Ukraine’s recovery and economic development involving raising as much as $800 billion.
European Union membership for Ukraine will form part of the security guarantees.
The document, which emerged from a 28-point-plan drafted by the White House and the Kremlin and first floated by President Donald Trump in mid-November, was expected to be delivered to the Kremlin by U.S. officials later Wednesday.
An immediate cease-fire comes into force as soon as Ukraine, the United States, Europe, and Russia sign — with Ukraine commiting to hold elections as soon as possible afterward. Who would sign on behalf of Europe was yet to be decided.
“We have made significant progress toward finalizing the documents,” Zelensky said.
However, Kyiv wants to put the plan to the people of Ukraine in a referendum which would take at least two months.
The main sticking point of territory remains with the plan calling for the frontlines in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions to form the de facto border, while Russia will pull out of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions.
The United States has proposed a compromise acceptable to both sides under which Ukrainian forces pull out of areas of its Donetsk region that Kyiv still controls in favor of a demilitarized “free economic zone” that Russian forces would not advance into.
“We are in a situation where the Russians want us to withdraw from Donetsk Oblast, while the Americans are trying to find a way for us not to withdraw because we are against withdrawal,” Zelensky said.
“We consider a free economic zone a potential option for a sovereign state to choose such a path. We fought for a single word — ‘potential.’ We believe that such potential economic zones can exist,” he added.
“If all regions are included and if we remain where we are, then we will reach an agreement. That is why it says ‘potential zones’ here. But if we do not agree to ‘remain where we are,’ there are two options: either the war continues, or something will have to be decided regarding all potential economic zones.”
Zelensky’s mention of other potential economic zones refers to his preferred solution to the other big outstanding issue of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since shortly after their full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukraine opposes a U.S. plan under which Ukraine, Russia and the United States share equal control with Washington having overall jurisdiction, with Kyiv instead pushing for a U.S.-Ukraine partnership under which they would split the electricity generated 50-50.
Clouds turn shades of red and orange when the sun sets behind One World Trade Center and the Manhattan skyline in New York City on November 5, 2025. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
CHRISTMAS and New Year’s sales are starting to emerge and this means you could grab some bargain flights.
EasyJet has already launched its Big Orange Sale with up to 20 percent off flights departing between January 5 and December 13, 2026.
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EasyJet has launched its Big Orange Sale with up to 20 per cent off flightsCredit: Alamy
If you grab a bargain today, it could even make the ideal last-minute Christmas gift.
You can book discounted fares for as little as £14.49 from now until February 3, 2026.
Destinations include some of the budget airline’s newest routes, such as Tbilisi in Georgia and the Scandinavian Mountains in Sweden.
Alternatively, if you wanted to head off on a ski trip you could fly to top ski destinations in Europe, such as Grenoble in France, Geneva in Switzerland and Innsbruck in Austria.
Perhaps cold holidays aren’t your thing? Then why not head off to some winter sun spots including Enfidha in Tunisia, Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt and Marrakech in Morocco.
Specific flights include London Gatwick to Palma, in Majorca, from £18.99.
As the capital of the Balearic Islands, Palma is known for its Gothic Cathedral, historic Old Town and of course, pretty beaches.
Or if you fancy relaxing, head to Palma Beach, which is just a short distance from the city centre and boasts turquoise waters, soft sand and a number of nearby restaurants.
If you live near Bristol, you could head to Bordeaux in France for just £14.49.
Known as the wine capital of France, Bordeaux is home to the UNESCO World Heritage ‘Port of the Moon’ with 18th century architecture.
Destinations include Bordeaux, France, which you could fly to from Bristol Airport for £14.49Credit: Alamy
Across Bordeaux, you will find around 6,000 wineries, producing mostly red wine.
If you happen to live in or near Birmingham, for £17.99 you could head to one of the major fashion capitals of the world – Milan, Italy.
While in the city, Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) is also worth visiting; it has Gothic features and you can climb the roof for panoramic views of the city.
From Manchester you could head toMadrid from £21.49 per person.
The capital of Spain is home to many sites to explore that are ideal for history lovers, such as the Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor and Retiro Park.
There are also several museums, such as the Prado Museum – the main Spanish national art museum – and Reina Sofia Museum home to a collection of 20th-century art.
If you live in or near Birmingham, you could fly to Milan in Italy for £17.99Credit: Alamy
And if you fancy a holiday package, easyJet is also offering up to £400 off of all easyJet holidays.
For this discount to apply you have to spend a minimum of £4,000 though.
Or you could get £300 off of a £3,000 spend, £150 off of a £1,500 spend, £100 off an £800 spend and £50 off a £500 spend with the code ‘BIGSALE’.
You will need to book before 11pm on March 3, 2026, and then travel between now and October 31, 2027.
All easyJet holiday packages include flights and a hotel, with 23kg luggage per person and transfers if booking a beach holiday.
Or perhaps you fancy a beach break? You could head to Palma, Majorca from London Gatwick for £18.99Credit: PA
Kevin Doyle, easyJet’s UK country manager, said: “By launching our Big Orange Sale today, customers can take advantage of our great value fares and make plans for a well-deserved break to look forward to in 2026.
“With over 45 new routes from the UK available for next year, customers can choose from flights and package holidays to up to 140 destinations across Europe and beyond, whether that’s to return to their top holiday hotspot, or discover somewhere new.
“We look forward to welcoming millions of customers onboard in 2026 and we remain focused on providing them with low-cost travel, flying them where they want to go, and always aiming to make the travel experience easy.”
WE DO like to be beside the seaside and you can be in the UK’s most-booked holiday home.
Located in Bude in Cornwall, you’ll find one of the most popular holiday homes in the entire country – and once you get a glimpse of the inside you’ll know why.
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A holiday home in Cornwall is one of the most booked in the UKCredit: holidaycottages.co.ukIt sits right on the beach and even has its own saunaCredit: holidaycottages.co.ukThe home also has two outside spacesCredit: holidaycottages.co.uk
The holiday home called No 1 sits right by the beach and even has its own beach access.
Holidaycottages.co.uk analysed data from across total booking numbers, website views and the percentage of five-star reviews, and No 1 came out on top.
The home features two light and airy bedrooms with wood panelling and king size beds, one of which can be split into two single beds.
One of the bedrooms also has an en suite with a shower.
There is an open plan living area, with a kitchen and dining space including two leather sofas and a Smart TV.
In the kitchen there are all the appliances and more that you would want for a stay, as well as a breakfast bar that seats four people.
The lounge area boasts amazing views of the beach too.
As for outside space, there are two spots to choose from.
At the front of the apartment there is an outside terrace with views of the sea and at the back of the apartment there is a private patio with a shower.
One recent guest, Marion, said: “Watching and listening to the waves a stone’s throw from an amazing apartment was a grand way to spend the week, the view is spectacular and yes, we did venture into sea!”
No 1 sleeps up to four people and a three night stay in January costs from £781, which is £65 per person, per night.
The house also overlooks Crooklets Beach, which is a popular spot among surfers and has a cafe as well as a kids’ play area.
If you wanted to, there are also huts for hire and showers for rinsing off the salty water and sand.
One recent visitor said: “Lovely beach with a mix of pebbles at top and then into sand so lots of fun for the children.
There are two bedrooms sleeping up to four peopleCredit: holidaycottages.co.ukAnd the living area has views of the beach and seaCredit: holidaycottages.co.uk
“Great rock pools and rocks to climb around.”
Another visitor said: “The beach was lovely and quiet.
“Parking very close by and a cafe and also a restaurant serving pub-style food and pizza.
“At the beach there is also a coastal path along the cliffs above and a World War II pillbox built into the cliffs.”
Alternatively, neighbouring Crooklets Beach is Summerleaze Beach – another popular spot as there is plenty of space for families to spread out and lifeguards are present.
Between the two beaches you will find Bude Sea Pool, which is ideal for swimming in when the sea is too rough.
In the town, you can explore a number of independent shops and boutiques, as well as cosy restaurants and pubs.
If you fancy a bite to eat then head to Rosie’s Kitchen, which serves smoothies, milkshakes, coffee, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
In the surrounding area, there are a number of coastal walks as well as cosy pubs and restaurantsCredit: holidaycottages.co.ukYou could also head to The Castle BudeCredit: holidaycottages.co.uk
For example, you could opt for Rosie’s Breakfast with butcher’s sausage, smoked bacon, fried egg, black pudding, field mushroom, hash brown, half-roasted tomato, baked beans and bread for £12.
From 12pm onwards you could even have some bubble and squeak, with two fried eggs and chimichurri for £14.
A beer will set you back £5 and a small glass of wine £4.90.
And golf fans can even head to Bude and North Cornwall Golf Club.
If you are looking for something more historical to do, then head to The Castle Bude, which was built nearly 200 years ago in 1830 and is home to a museum, art gallery and a cafe.
A RETIRED 80-year-old with no social media presence is understandably afraid his likeness will be stolen to generate pornographic deepfakes on the dark web.
Octogenarian Keith, not his real name, has asked that all pictures his grandchildren might have posted online of him in the past decade are scrubbed from the internet to protect him from becoming a victim of explicit revenge porn.
He explained: “I read in the paper that these AI gadgets take your face and put it on someone else’s body, making it look like you’re doing something you never did. Like having it off with the woman on top.
“While I wish I was romping with Kylie Minogue, and I could now Mary’s gone, it’s not appropriate for any Tom, Dick or Harry to make that into a video and share it around for everyone to see. Indonesia could be watching that nightly and I wouldn’t know.
“You might think I’m being paranoid, but I could see the treasurer of the lawn bowls club retaliating like this after I accused him of cheating last August. He’s got a computer with megarams.
“And quite frankly I’m afraid to go to the Post Office and pay my gas bill because everyone in there could have been watching me giving it both barrels to those Sugababes on their phones and laughing. It’s elder abuse.”
He added: “I’ve asked my grandson to search the web for it. He says he there’s nothing there, but I worry he hasn’t spelled ‘Steele’ with all three Es.”
Skyscanner recently shared insights into the best and worst times to buy flight tickets
Securing affordable flight deals can often seem impossible, but assistance might just be at hand. Skyscanner recently unveiled insights on the best and worst times to purchase international tickets, spotlighting both seasonal patterns and particular weekdays.
The travel search engine analysed historical data to reveal these trends and also addressed an ongoing debate in holiday planning: is it better to book early or to hold out for last-minute bargains?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a straightforward answer to this, as Skyscanner stressed that it largely depends on the route. Whilst quieter journeys or off-peak days may see price reductions as the departure date approaches, popular routes are likely to witness prices soar dramatically.
Irrespective of the season, Fridays and Sundays consistently emerge as the worst days to book flights due to high demand. However, statistics showed that cheaper fares are usually discovered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when bookings drop off.
“Based on past pricing trends, fares have dropped on Tuesday mornings after Monday deal releases,” Skyscanner wrote earlier this year, according to the Daily Record. When asked if prices decrease nearer a departure date, it added: “Sometimes, especially if seats are still available.
“But prices also tend to rise as departure nears. Last-minute deals exist, but they’re never guaranteed. You can also use the Skyscanner Savings Generator to find the best time to book flights based on your route.”
Skyscanner recommended that travellers book short-haul flights at least one to three months in advance to avoid disappointment. For long-haul journeys, it’s best to secure tickets two to six months before the trip.
Those wishing to monitor fluctuating flight prices can utilise Skyscanner’s alert system. To activate it, simply select a preferred route and click the ‘Get Price Alerts’ button located at the top left corner of the website.
To use this feature, you’ll need a Skyscanner account as alerts will be sent to the email linked with your account. Google also offers a similar alert system within its flight price tracking tool.
Google’s current advice states: “You can track flight prices for specific dates or, if your plans are flexible, any dates. To get flight alerts for a specific round trip, choose your dates and flights and select Search. Then, you can turn on price tracking.”
For more information on Skyscanner’s price-tracking tool, click the link here.
For the latest money-saving tips, shopping and consumer news, go to the new Everything Money website.
Get all the hottest shopping deals, cash saving tips and money news straight to your phone by joining our new WhatsApp Community – The Money Saving Club. Just click this link to join https://crnch.it/eutplxS1
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Long-haul flights can feel daunting for both passengers and cabin crew. But while travellers can sit and put their feet up, what happens to the flight attendants on a long shift?
Christine Younan Deputy Editor Social Newsdesk
12:55, 24 Dec 2025Updated 12:56, 24 Dec 2025
There’s a whole secret area for flight attendants(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Travelling is fun but when it’s a long flight, it can feel quite draining for everyone on board. Passengers, however, get to tuck into countless meals served by cabin crew, watch multiple movies back-to-back and relax.
So when travellers get some shut eye, especially if it’s a night flight, those working on the flight still have a job to do. Luckily there are moments of the trip where they can get their feet up for some rest. A long-haul flight shift for cabin crew can reach up to 18 hours, although it’s around 12-16 hours with in-flight rest. This can sometimes extend to longer if there’s any delays along the way.
Now have you ever wondered how they rest? One flight attendant shared a video which showed a secret area where “no passenger is allowed” and it’s only for cabin crew staff to put their feet up.
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In a video, Bryan, who boasts 5,000 Instagram followers, said: “People ask me: Where do flight attendants sleep when they have a 17-hour flight?”
Seconds later, he jumps into his pyjamas before taking his phone to show the secret area cabin crew can go to rest during their shift.
The title, which read: “A place where no passenger is allowed”, then shows the attendant walking up some stairs before showing a hidden cabin with beds and curtains.
It’s called CRC which stands for Crew Rest Compartment, and this is where they go when it’s time for their break. In the sleeping area, there is a seatbelt, which must be fastened in case of turbulence, some blankets and, of course, pillows.
There’s also overhead lights and even curtains for privacy, with a TV for “endless entertainment”.
His post garnered hundreds of likes since it was shared as one wrote: “Wow that’s awesome.” Another added: “I would sleep all the way through. No alcohol. No entertainment. Just rest. We need our bodies to perform on Earth. Thanks for sharing.”
A third posted: “Thanks for sharing! So cool to see ‘behind the scenes’ with the crew.”
How do cabin crew survive long-haul flights?
Flight attendants usually rotate their scheduled rest periods by using the hidden crew bunks. By doing this, it ensures there’s coverage during flights up to 16+ hours.
The crew members manage fatigue with routines, wellness, nutrition and use seniority to bid for better schedules, they also balance intense work with multi-day layovers to explore cities or rest before the next leg of their trip, often spanning several days.
Long-haul offers extensive travel for flight crew, while short-haul provides more home time. Often flight attendants choose this based on lifestyle preference.
Meanwhile extended periods away from home are common, with long blocks of days off after demanding trips to recover from the job.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The U.S. Navy has confirmed to TWZ that construction of the first two Trump class “battleships” is not expected to start until the early 2030s. While cost estimates are still being firmed up, the service is moving now to award sole-source contracts to Bath Iron Works, Huntington Ingalls Industries, and Gibbs & Cox for initial design and other work related to these large surface combatants. Readers can first get up to speed on what is already known about the plans for these ships and the glaring questions surrounding them in our initial reporting here.
President Donald Trump officially rolled out the Trump class warship plan at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, last night. With displacements of at least around 35,000 tons, the vessels are set to be armed with an array of nuclear and conventional missiles, as well as electromagnetic railguns, traditional 5-inch naval guns, laser directed energy weapons, and more. Production is supposed to start with two ships, the first of which will be named USS Defiant, out of a planned initial batch of 10 hulls. Trump has said that the total fleet size might eventually grow to 20 to 25 examples.
A rendering the White House shared yeterday of the future Trump class USS Defiant. White House/USN
“Design efforts are underway with start of construction planned for the early 2030s,” a U.S. Navy official told TWZ. “Design studies are ongoing to refine Navy cost estimates. These details will be available in the PB FY27 [President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2027] budget request.”
Another individual familiar with the program also told TWZ that work to build the first Trump class ships is not expected to begin until the early 2030s. They also told us that the new “battleship” plan is supplanting the Navy’s DDG(X) next-generation destroyer effort, and will leverage work already done on that design concept.
“We’re going to start almost immediately, and we’re probably talking about two and a half years,” Trump had said at yesterday’s rollout when asked to give a timeline for work on the first two Trump class ships. However, it is unclear what part of the process he might have been referring to. TWZ has reached out to the White House for more information.
Reporter: What is the timetable for these first two ships?
Trump: We’re going to start almost immediately, we are probably talking about 2.5 years. pic.twitter.com/9tT6j8OcQ1
As already noted, the Navy did put out two contracting notices regarding what is also referred to as the BBG(X) guided missile battleship program following the rollout last night.
“Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) intends to contract on a sole source basis with General Dynamics Bath Irons [sic] Works Corporation (BIW) and Huntington Ingalls Industries-Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII Ingalls) for BBG(X) guided missile battleship design, engineering, and design analysis requirements. This includes shipbuilder engineering and design analysis necessary to produce BBG(X) design products in support of Navy-led design for BBG(X), including Preliminary Design (PD) and Contract Design (CD),” one of the notices says. “BIW and HII Ingalls will assist the Government design team in maturing a total ship design through a rigorous systems engineering process, including, but not limited to, preplanned reviews such as System Functional Review (SFR) and Preliminary Design Review (PDR). The estimated period of performance for these efforts is 72 months.”
In addition, NAVSEA “intends to contract on a sole source basis with Leidos Gibbs & Cox for surface combatant ship design engineering (SC SDE) efforts to support future Navy surface combatants. As part of these efforts, Leidos Gibbs & Cox will primarily execute design activity in support of Preliminary Design (PD), Contract Design (CD), and other design efforts needed to support the BBG(X) guided missile battleship program,” per the other notice. “As the SC SDE contractor, Leidos Gibbs & Cox will serve as an extension of the Government’s ship design team, delivering specialized expertise in early-stage design analysis and requirements definition. This early design phase support is crucial for ensuring the feasibility, affordability, and performance of the ship design prior to detail design and construction. The estimated period of performance for this contract is 72 months.”
For reference, 72 months is six years. If that timeline were to start next month, the period of performance would run into 2032. This aligns directly with the expected start of actual construction in the early 2030s.
Another rendering of a Trump class large surface combatant. White House/USN
“We are committed to continue our work with the Navy and our industry partners to expand the Navy’s Fleet,” an HII spokesperson told TWZ when asked for more information. “We maintain a full range of engineering and design capabilities and are looking forward to providing the benefit of their experience and expertise to this effort, building on the work done to date in support of the DDG(X). We respectfully defer to Navy on the selection criteria and any details on requirements.”
“We are proud to have built the Navy’s most technologically advanced surface combatants and our shipbuilders are committed to continuing that work in lock step with the Navy to expand their Fleet,” Chris Kastner, President and CEO of HII, had also told TWZ in a statement yesterday. “We understand the urgency and have taken a number of actions to increase the speed at which we can deliver. We have seen improvements in our labor and throughput and expect these to continue in 2026. These efforts combined with our distributed shipbuilding network are working, and more capacity is being created to meet these critical requirements.”
Bath Iron Works also deferred to the Navy when asked for more details.
“General Dynamics Bath Iron Works stands ready to fully support the Navy in the design and construction of this important new shipbuilding program,” Charles Krugh, President of Bath Iron Works, had separately said in a statement to USNI News yesterday.
TWZ has also reached out to Gibbs & Cox for more details.
It’s also interesting to note here that 2032 was when the Navy originally hoped to see construction of new DDG(X) destroyers begin. As of January of this year, that timeline had been pushed back to 2034 at the earliest.
A graphic the US Navy previously released showing a notional DDG(X) design. USN
With BBG(X) still in the very early design phase, the U.S. Navy official also told TWZ that there is currently no timeline for when the future USS Defiant will actually be launched. It would then take some amount of time after that to complete the vessel’s construction, conduct initial sea trials, and then commission it into service.
In the meantime, NAVSEA has shared some additional details about the expected capabilities of the Trump class warships. As it stands now, the vessels are set to be between 840 and 880 feet long, have a beam (the widest point in the hull) between 105 and 115 feet, displace at least 35,000 tons, and be able to reach a top speed greater than 30 knots.
A graphic detailing the current expected specifications of the Trump class design. USN via USNI News
For comparison, the Navy’s newest Flight III Arleigh Burke class destroyers and its Ticonderoga class cruisers have stated displacements of 10,864 tons and 10,752 tons, respectively, with full combat loads. Both of those ships are also hundreds of feet shorter and dozens of feet narrower than the planned BBG(X).
The Navy’s last true battleships, the four members of the Iowa class that were built during World War II and served for decades afterwards, had full combat displacements of around 57,540 tons and were nearly 888 feet long. Those ships were also extremely heavily armored and at times had as many as 2,700 personnel on board.
The BBG(X) design will feature 128 Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells spread across two separate arrays, one at the bow and another at the stern. Nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles, or SLCM-Ns, will be among the munitions loaded into those cells. The total number of Mk 41 cells is notably low for a ship of this size. As additional points of comparison, the Navy’s Flight IIA and Flight III Arleigh Burke class destroyers both have 96 Mk 41 VLS cells, while there are 122 on itsTiconderoga class cruisers.
An annotated graphic highlighting various capabilities set to be found on the Trump class design. Note that the mention here of “28 Mk 41 VLS” cells appears to be a typo, as other official information from the US Navy says the ships will have 128 such cells. USN via USNI News
The ship’s main gun armament will consist of a 32-megajoule electromagnetic railgun along with two 5-inch naval guns. How the Navy will source the railgun is unclear. The service halted its most recent work on naval railguns, at least publicly, in the early 2020s.
The vessels will have four Mk 38 weapon systems armed with 30mm automatic cannons and two launchers for RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM) for close-in defense. Two unspecified dedicated counter-drone systems will be part of the armament package on the ships, as well.
The BBG(X) plans call for two laser directed energy weapons in the 300 to 600 kilowatt power range, as well as four lower-powered AN/SEQ-4 Optical Dazzling Interdictors (ODIN). As its name indicates, ODIN is a laser ‘dazzler’ designed primarily to blind adversarial optics, including optical seekers on incoming missiles or drones, rather than cause any kind of physical damage.
An AN/SEQ-4 ODIN laser ‘dazzler’ is seen here installed in front of the main superstructure of the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Stockdale. USN
In terms of other systems, NAVSEA says the BBG(X)s will feature an AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR), an AN/SLQ-32(V)7 Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block III electronic warfare suite, and an extensive array of command and control capabilities. Between 650 and 850 personnel are expected to be necessary to crew the BBG(X)s, far more than the standard complement found on any existing Navy destroyers or cruisers.
AsTWZ highlighted yesterday, there are major questions about the Trump class warship plan, including how much the ships might cost to produce, as well as operate and maintain. Though the Navy has yet to share an official figure, there have been reports already offering a very wide range of estimates for basic unit costs from $5 to $15 billion. The future DDG(X) destroyers had been expected to cost the service between $3.3 and $4.4 billion. As another point of reference, the price tag of each of the Navy’s Zumwalt class destroyers has ballooned to more than $10 billion, which factors in research and development costs, per the Government Accountability Office (GAO). It is also worth noting that the Zumwalt program’s cost growth is in large part due to the decision to slash purchases of those ships from 32 down to three.
The US Navy’s Zumwalt class destroyer USS Michael Monsoor seen taking part in an exercise in 2021. USN
“At the same time, what capabilities the Trump class might truly be able to bring to bear will be dependent on a host of factors, especially if they are only ever fielded in relatively smaller numbers. And regardless of how capable any warship is, it can only ever be in one place at one time, which is more often than not in port.”
“On the other hand, there are concerning VLS cell gaps that are fast approaching on the horizon. The service is set to retire the last of its Ticonderoga class cruisers, each one of which has 122 VLS cells, at the end of the decade. The Navy will also need to make up for the impending loss of the huge missile launch capacity offered by its four Ohio class nuclear guided missile submarines, which are also set to be decommissioned before 2030. The Trump class will clearly feature a massive set of VLS arrays that could help offset some of this deficit.”
The capacity of America’s shipbuilding industrial base to support the Trump class plans in addition to its current demands, something that has become increasingly concerning from a national security perspective in recent years, is another open question. The expected sole-source contracts to Bath Iron Works and HII underscore that those are the only two companies in the United States with any real experience producing large-displacement surface warships of any kind.
Given the timeline laid out now, the Trump class will have to survive multiple presidential administrations and congresses, too. The program could well see significant changes, or even be canceled, even before a single piece of steel is laid down, but still after billions are spent in development costs.
By its own admission, the Navy is still very much in the early stages of work on the Trump class. With the construction of the future USS Defiant not expected to even begin until the early 2030s, the planned fleet of these warships looks to be very far out on the horizon.
Four years ago, California startup Theta Labs’ cryptocurrency was soaring, and its future appeared bright when it landed a partnership with pop star Katy Perry.
The Bay Area company had built a marketplace for digital collectibles known as nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, and had teamed up with Perry to launch NFTs tied to her Las Vegas concert residency. Its THETA token jumped by more than 500% in early 2021, reaching a peak of more than $15, making it one of the world’s most valuable cryptocurrencies. Later in the year, the spotlight shone on the company when it announced the Perry partnership.
“I can’t wait to dive in with the Theta team on all the exciting and memorable creative pieces, so my fans can own a special moment of my residency,” Perry said in a June 2021 news release.
Today, like many cryptocurrencies, THETA is 95% off its 2021 peak. It took a hit this week after former executives accused it of manipulating markets to dupe consumers into buying its products. On Tuesday, it was trading at less than 30 cents.
Two former executives from Theta Labs sued the startup, alleging in separate lawsuits that the company and its chief executive, Mitch Liu, engaged in fraud and manipulated the cryptocurrency market for his benefit. Liu retaliated against them after the employees refused to engage in deceptive business practices and raised concerns, the lawsuits say.
Some of the alleged misconduct involved placing fake bids on Perry’s NFTs, engaging in token “pump and dump” schemes and using celebrity endorsements and “misleading” partnerships with high-profile companies such as Google to deceive the public, according to the December lawsuits filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Perry is not accused of any wrongdoing in the suit, and Theta denies the charges.
The lawsuits against Theta Labs are the latest controversy to rattle an industry beset by scandals.
Cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapsed, and its founder, Samuel Bankman-Fried, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2024 after being found guilty of multiple fraud charges. Binance founder and former Chief Executive Changpeng Zhao also got prison time after he pleaded guilty to violating money laundering laws, but President Trump pardoned him this year.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission previously charged celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul and Ne-Yo for promoting crypto without disclosing they were paid to do so.
Theta Labs created a network that rewarded people with cryptocurrency for contributing spare bandwidth and computing power to enhance video streaming and lower content delivery costs. The company describes Theta Network as a “blockchain-powered decentralized cloud for AI, media and entertainment.” The network has two tokens: THETA, used to secure the network, and TFUEL, used to pay users for services and power operations.
The whistleblowers suing Theta Labs are Jerry Kowal, its former head of content, and Andrea Berry, previously the company’s head of business development.
“Liu used Theta Labs as his personal trading vehicle, perpetrating fraud, self-dealing, and market manipulation,” said Mark Mermelstein, Kowal’s attorney, in a statement. “His calculated ‘pump-and-dump’ schemes repeatedly wiped out employee and investor value. This suit is about demanding accountability and proving no one is above the law.”
Theta, Liu and its parent company, Sliver VR Technologies, deny the allegations and “intend to prove with evidence the fallacy of the stories being told in the lawsuits,” according to Kronenberger Rosenfeld, the law firm representing the defendants. The lawsuits are an attempt to paint the company in a negative light in hopes of securing a settlement, a lawyer for the firm said.
Kowal has sued his former employers before. In 2014, he accused Netflix of spreading false claims that he stole confidential information and Amazon of wrongful termination.
The latest lawsuits allege that Liu profited from buying and selling THETA tokens using insider knowledge about partnerships with celebrities, studios and others in the entertainment industry.
“Liu’s true motive in pursuing such partnerships was not to develop a sustainable content business but to generate publicity that could be used to artificially inflate token prices for Liu’s personal gain,” Kowal’s lawsuit says.
Kowal worked for Theta from 2020 to 2025.
In 2020, Liu traded and sold tokens knowing that the company would close a content licensing deal with MGM Studios, according to the lawsuit. After the deal’s announcement, THETA token’s market capitalization increased by more than $50 million in just 24 hours, the lawsuit says.
When NFTs started to take off in 2021, Kowal closed deals with high-profile partners such as Perry, Fremantle Media and Resorts World Las Vegas for the startup’s NFT marketplace.
As part of the deal with Perry, the singer received $8.5 million and additional warrants for the right to license her image and likeness for the NFTs.
To inflate the price and demand for these digital collectibles, Liu allegedly made bids on NFTs and directed employees to do the same. This led to people overpaying for the Perry NFTs.
Representatives for Perry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Multiple examples of alleged manipulation are outlined in the lawsuits. In one instance from 2022, the startup launched a new token called TDROP that employees also received as part of a bonus.
Liu gained control of 43% of the supply of the cryptocurrency, according to Kowal’s lawsuit. When the TDROP token reached a high, he then sold the token, and its price collapsed by more than 90% within months.
Berry’s lawsuit also alleges that Theta Labs announced “misleading” or fake partnerships with high-profile companies such as Google and entities including NASA to pump up the value of the THETA token. Theta paid for Google Cloud products but claimed it was a partner when it was a Google customer, according to the lawsuit.
There were long faces in Brussels in early October when Czech parliamentary elections handed a victory to Andrej Babiš’s ANO party. And even longer ones a month later when Babiš, short of a majority, announced plans to form a coalition with the far right, pro-Russian SPD and the eccentric, libertarian Motorists alliance.
Although the jury is still out on whether this new populist government will join those in Slovakia and Hungary to form an anti-EU front in Central Europe, it will look very different from the pro-EU, pro-Ukraine Spoulu (Together) government it replaces, headed by Petr Fiala.
Babiš Returns to The Czech Republic— and Repositions Himself
Returning to the premiership—Babiš, aged 71, was prime minister from 2017 to 2021 and before that deputy prime minister and finance minister from 2014—is a major personal victory for the Czech Republic’s richest man, estimated to be worth over $4 billion. Babiš’ made his fortune through his holding company, Agrofert, the now-huge agribusiness and chemicals powerhouse he founded in 1993.
Babiš has moved steadily to the right, with ANO’s populism a long way from the centrist positions ANO (YES) championed when Babiš set up the party in 2012. Although dubbed the Czech Trump for his anti-establishment outbursts and authoritarian rhetoric, observers believe Babiš Mark II will be more measured, favoring stability and prioritizing his business interests and those of the Czech Republic.
“An ANO-led government will face institutional constraints on its near-term ability to implement significant policy shifts, notably the outgoing coalition’s constitutional majority in the upper house [the Senate], where it holds 60 of 81 seats,” argues Malgorzata Krzywicka, director, Sovereigns at Fitch Ratings. “[We expect] a broadly prudent fiscal policy, although it is likely to adjust foreign policy, notably regarding alignment with some EU priorities.”
Babiš, Like Trump, Has a Second Act
Another potential issue for Babiš is centrist, pro-EU President Petr Pavel’s power to veto ministerial appoints and legislation. Meanwhile, the prospect of a populist anti-EU front amongst the four Visegrad countries must be measured against next April’s parliamentary elections in Hungary. Polls suggest Prime Minister Viktor Orban is running well behind his pro-EU challenger, Péter Magyar.
That said, Babiš’s return to power—like US President Donald Trump’s, after a gap of four years—will likely mean change.
“Divergence from Spolu’s strongly pro-Western stance is likely, for example over providing munitions to Ukraine,” reckons Krzywicka. It could lead to disputes with the EU in such areas as energy or migration, she added.
That said, “we think these are highly unlikely to intensify sufficiently to have consequences, such as the suspension of EU funds.”
Semenyo’s profile is a unique one and at the reported price point, it feels like a no-brainer.
Stylistically we have seen City lean into attacking in transition with more pace this season than previously under Guardiola, who has played on the strengths of Haaland, Foden, Tijjani Reijnders and Doku – attacking quickly over big distances.
As a result, City have scored from more fast breaks this season than during the entire 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons combined.
Bournemouth‘s direct style of attack means Semenyo’s pace, good hold-up play, smart decision-making and two-footed ball-striking are more easily transferred to this City side.
These are dangerous traits, especially when going long against teams that attempt to press high up the pitch.
Guardiola likes versatile players too, given they provide solutions to injury crises.
With Doku out injured, Reijnders has come in and shifted Foden out to the left. Semenyo would provide Premier League proven quality on both wings.
“The years we were successful, not just the strikers [were scoring], especially the wingers, attacking midfielders. We need that,” said Guardiola earlier this month.
City’s over-reliance on Haaland’s 19 goals will be something he wants to address. Foden has scored the second most with seven but has been moved away from the number 10 position, where he scores often from distance.
The signing of Semenyo would help get Foden back in the areas Guardiola feels he is most dangerous.
Semenyo has the added benefit of providing goals himself while starting as a winger. With eight in the league this season, only Igor Thiago and Haaland have more.
If City want to overtake Arsenal and win the league, getting scorers behind Haaland would be a smart move.
Captain Ben Stokes said protecting England players’ welfare was his top concern amid claims of excessive drinking on a mid-Ashes beach break, without directly addressing the allegations.
Stokes was peppered with questions on Wednesday ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne about the team’s behaviour at Noosa between the second and third Tests after British media reports compared it with a “stag-do”.
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Unverified social media footage appeared to show opener Ben Duckett drunk and disoriented.
Their disastrous five-Test tour, which has seen Australia take an unassailable 3-0 lead, took another hit on Wednesday when pace spearhead Jofra Archer was ruled out of the rest of the series with a side strain.
England cricket chief Rob Key on Tuesday pledged to investigate the drinking claims, while the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement it was intent on establishing the facts.
Stokes, whose team have already lost the Ashes, said his main concern was the players’ mental welfare and to ensure they were ready for the Melbourne Test starting Friday.
“I’m obviously aware of the reports and everything circulating around right now,” Stokes said.
“My main concern is my players, and how I handle this moment is the most important thing to me.
“The welfare of everyone in there, and probably some certain individuals as well, is the most important thing to me right now as England captain.
“It’s never a nice place to be in when not only the media world, but also the social media world, is piling on top of you,” he added.
“It’s a very tough place to be in as an individual. As an individual, when you know you’ve got the support of the people who are sort of leaders, in a sense, it’s very good to know that you’ve got that support.”
Asked directly whether his teammates had “done anything wrong in Noosa”, Stokes replied: “I’ve just answered everything there.”
Stokes calls for focus as spotlight increases on England
England went to Queensland tourist resort Noosa after losing the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane heavily.
They spent several days on the sand and around restaurants and bars before travelling to Adelaide, where they lost the third Test as Australia retained the Ashes.
Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported that “after drowning their sorrows after the Brisbane Test, it is no exaggeration to say some, certainly not all, players drank for five or six days”.
It added that players “did nothing outrageous in Noosa” but there was concern over the level of drinking, with England’s professionalism already under the microscope after their limited preparations.
England captain Ben Stokes, right, and coach Brendon McCullum are both under pressure following the side’s failures in Australia [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]
Stokes conceded that when a side was losing, there would be scrutiny, and “rightly so”.
“When you are 3-0 down you don’t really have a leg to stand on but we’ve got two games of cricket to play. That’s what we have to focus on,” he said.
“We haven’t won a game in Australia for a long, long time.”
England have gone 18 Tests since winning a match in Australia, dating back to their last series victory there in 2010-11.
Their capitulation in this series in 11 days of play is the joint second quickest in more than a century, since the 1921 Ashes was completed in eight days.
Making matters worse, Archer will take no further part in the tour, with Gus Atkinson replacing him in Melbourne.
The under-performing Ollie Pope paid for his poor form at number three, with Jacob Bethell taking over in the only other change.
England’s Test woes in contrast to Australia’s Ashes high
Bowling with the wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps can bruise a fast bowler’s ego, but Australia paceman Scott Boland said Alex Carey’s stellar glovework in the ongoing Ashes series has helped him grow comfortable with it.
Carey’s wicketkeeping masterclass has been a key factor in Australia’s unassailable lead in the five-match series, and the 34-year-old was particularly impressive in the second Test at the Gabba, where he stood up to Boland and Michael Neser.
With the wicketkeeper breathing down their necks, English batters were pretty much confined to the crease, which meant the home bowlers did not really need to vary their length.
“I’ve just never really bowled to the keeper up to the stumps before,” Boland told reporters ahead of the fourth Test.
“Everyone wants to be a fast bowler, and you don’t really like the keeper up to the stumps.
“But I’ve seen over the last month how effective it is and how still I can keep their batters by Alex being up to the stumps.”
Wicketkeepers typically stand farther back from the stumps when facing fast bowlers to give themselves more time to react to the high speed and bounce of the ball, reducing the risk of missed catches.
Even from close range, Carey showed tremendous reflexes to pouch a thick edge from Ben Stokes after the England captain had nicked a Neser delivery in the second innings.
Dismissals like that gave confidence to Boland that he could continue bowling his edge-inducing length balls regardless of where Carey stood.
“I just need to trust that the length balls I bowl to try and nick guys off is the same length I bowl when he’s up to the stumps or back,” the 36-year-old said.
“The Gabba was pretty bouncy and he was up to the stumps for a bit of it and catching balls above waist-high and I bowled a bouncer and he caught that, so I have full trust in him up there.”
Former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy called Carey “clearly the best in the world”, while teammate Steve Smith termed him a “freak”.
A UK travel company has collapsed into liquidation after 55 years.
The Civil Aviation Authority announced that the Ickenham Travel Group stopped trading in November.
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One company has gone into liquidation after 55 yearsCredit: Alamy
The London-based company previously traded under the names Abu Dhabi Holidays, Ras Al Khaimah Holidays and Letsgo2.
It ceased trading as a licence holder on November 20, 2025 after more than five decades.
The CAA told customers who are overseas that their return flight remains valid and they should check in with their airline ‘as per the existing flight ticket’.
It continued: “The CAA is speaking to the service providers for the other elements of your trip to ensure these continue as planned.”
It issued the following advice for people with ATOL protected packages due to travel after that date.
The CAA said: “If you have an ATOL flight inclusive package booking and have been issued with flight tickets, the flights may be valid for travel, and you are advised to check with the airline.
“If the airline confirms you have a valid ticket for travel, you may have the option to travel.
“However, other services may not have been paid to the local suppliers, and you will be required to re-arrange and pay for these services again. To avoid any issues in resort, you should confirm the cost of all the services in advance of travel where possible.”
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has given details of an updated peace plan that offers Russia the potential withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the east that Moscow has demanded.
Giving details of the 20-point plan agreed by US and Ukrainian negotiators in Florida at the weekend, Zelensky said the Russians would respond on Wednesday once the Americans had spoken to them.
Describing the plan as “the main framework for ending the war” Zelensky said it proposed security guarantees from the US, Nato and Europeans for a co-ordinated military response if Russia invaded Ukraine again.
On the key question of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas, Zelensky said a “free economic zone” was a potential option.
He told journalists that as Ukraine was against withdrawal, US negotiators were looking to establish a demilitarised zone or a free economic zone. Any area that Ukrainian troops pulled out of would have to be policed by Ukraine, he stressed.
“There are two options,” Zelensky said, “either the war continues, or something will have to be decided regarding all potential economic zones.”
The 20-point plan is seen as an update of an original 28-point document, agreed by US envoy Steve Witkoff with the Russians several weeks ago, which was widely seen as heavily geared towards the Kremlin’s demands.
The Russians have insisted that Ukraine pulls out of almost a quarter of its own territory in the eastern Donetsk region in return for a peace deal. The rest is already under Russian occupation.
Sensitive issues including questions over territory would have to be resolved “at the leaders’ level”, but the new draft would provide Ukraine with strong security guarantees and a military strength of 800,000, Zelensky explained.
Much of the updated plan resembles what came out of recent talks in Berlin involving US negotiators Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Ukrainian and European leaders. The setting then moved to Miami last weekend where US President Donald Trump’s team spoke separately to Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev and then Ukrainian and European officials.
There now appears to be far more detail on the territorial issue, although it is clear the Ukrainian side was unable to reach a consensus with the Americans.
Zelensky explained that if Ukraine was prepared to pull its heavy forces back by five, 10 or 40km in the 25% of Donetsk it still held to create an economic zone, making it virtually demilitarised, then Russia would have to do the same “accordingly by five, 10, or 40km”.
Russian troops are currently about 40km (25 miles) east of Ukraine’s “fortress belt” cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, having captured the town of Siversk.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to be impressed by the kind of compromise being proposed for Donetsk. He said this month that Russia would take control of the entire east of Ukraine by force if Ukrainian troops did not pull out.
Zelensky made clear that such a free economic zone would have to be under Ukrainian administration and police – “definitely not the so-called Russian police”. The current front line would then become the boundary of the economic zone with international forces on the ground along the contact line to ensure no Russian infiltration.
Russia has so far rejected a European proposal to police any peace deal through a Coalition of the Willing as a “brazen threat”.
A referendum would need to be held on the whole peace plan, Zelensky said, ad only a referendum could decide on the idea of a potential free economic zone in Donbas.
He emphasised that an economic zone would also have to be set up around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant currently occupied by Russia, and that Russian troops would have to pull out of four other Ukrainian regions – Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv.
The main points of the plan reaffirm Ukraine’s sovereignty and propose a non-aggression pact between Russia and its neighbour with a monitoring mechanism.
As well as strong security guarantees mirroring Nato’s Article Five, which requires members to aid an ally under attack, Ukraine is to be allowed a maximum military strength of 800,000 in peacetime.
Discussions are still going on over a US plan to receive compensation in return for security guarantees, so Zelensky says it is not currently part of the document.
There is no reference barring Ukraine from joining Nato, which was in the original 28-point plan and something Russia has consistently demanded.
And the latest framework proposes that Ukraine joins the European Union with a defined date of accession. It is currently a candidate, but a number of other candidate countries are seen as first in line, such as Albania.
There are plans for a Ukraine investment fund of about $200bn involving both the US and Europe.
Among the other points is a requirement for Ukraine to hold elections as soon as possible after the deal is signed. Russia and the US have both pushed for a vote, even though Ukraine is under martial law because of the full-scale invasion.
