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Some of the films will jump out faster than a Marvel reboot, but others will be much trickier to spot We’re confident we’ve cracked the lot – think you can beat us? Scroll down for the answers…

Think you’re a true movie buff? Time to put your bragging rights on the line – because this baffling brainteaser is about to weed out the pretenders from the real cinema geeks.

Hidden in the below picture – which we’ve teased above – are little nods to 27 iconic films. Some will jump out faster than a Marvel reboot, but others will be much trickier to spot.

The puzzle first popped up on the Latest Deals, Extreme Couponing & Bargains Facebook group, and has put even the most confident film fans through their paces. One admitted: “Apparently there are 27 films in this picture! I’ve not found all of them… can you?”

The 27 movies have been squeezed into one picture, each represented by a small detail, visual hint, or clever little signal. We’re confident we’ve cracked the lot. Think you can beat us? Scroll down for the answers — complete with pictures to prove it.

Full image and answers

1. Jumanji. This one’s painfully obvious and sits front and centre of the image.

2. Forrest Gump. Anyone who’s ever set foot in a cinema will recognise Tom Hanks from his starring role in the 1990s drama classic.

3. Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Arnie fans should remember his cyborg eye from the 1991 sci-fi sequel.

4. Gremlins. Tucked away under the bench sits one of the creatures from Joe Dante’s 1984 horror-comedy.

5. Edward Scissorhands. Another stark inclusion behind Tom Hanks is Johnny Depp’s character from Tim Burton’s 1990 movie.

6. E.T. This one is a bit trickier to spot and lingers in the background – the unforgettable bike scene from the Steven Spielberg classic.

7. Ghostbusters. Slimer from Ivan Reitman’s 1984 film Ghostbusters can be seen sneaking up on Tom Hanks behind the bench.

8. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. The 1989 family adventure pops up with tiny characters sitting on the bottom right of the bench.

9. Space Jam. The sticker on the bench is a reference to the 1996 classic.

10. Pulp Fiction .The 1994 Tarantino classic is nodded to by John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson faintly positioned behind the Jumanji board.

11. Back to the Future .The hoverboard on the bottom left is taken from the sci-fi comedy classic.

12. Jurassic Park .Spielberg’s 1993 dinosaur blockbuster is referenced through the Barbasol shaving cream can on the right.

13. Wayne’s World .The 1992 comedy favourite is included via a sticker placed on the bench slat.

14. Hook .The 1991 family fantasy is hinted at by Captain Hook’s metal hook on the right-hand edge of the image.

15. Harry and the Hendersons .The 1987 creature-comedy appears as a Bigfoot figure lurking near the tree.

16. Home Alone. The 1990 Christmas classic is referenced with “Wet Bandits” carved onto the bench.

17. Predator .The 1987 action sci-fi film is signalled by writing on the bench nodding to its famous catchphrase.

18. Indiana Jones .The 1981 adventure classic is represented by the small golden idol near the bench leg.

19. Batman .The iconic franchise is referenced through the Wayne Enterprises logo on the chocolate box.

20. Short Circuit .The 1986 robot comedy shows up via Johnny 5 perched on the right edge of the image.

21. The NeverEnding Story .The 1984 fantasy adventure appears through the Auryn necklace hanging around his neck.

22. The Goonies .The 1985 cult adventure is referenced with a bronze medallion peeking from his jacket pocket.

23. The Last Action Hero .The 1993 action-comedy is hinted at by the “Admit One” golden ticket resting on the bench.

24. Titanic. Movie buffs should have spotted the heart-shaped necklace around Edward Scissorhands.

25. Dumb and Dumber .The 1994 comedy classic is visible through the two men riding the mini-motorbike on the right.

26. Mars Attacks! Tim Burton’s 1996 sci-fi parody appears with a Martian head visible in the top right.

27. The Big Lebowski. The cult comedy is referenced by a bowling-themed item tucked into the jacket pocket.

“I hope he continues at Liverpool and Arne Slot gets sacked.” Mohamed Salah fans at the Arab Cup told Al Jazeera’s Rylee Carlson he has done a lot for his club and shouldn’t be sidelined. Salah had said he felt disrespected after being benched in several games, prompting a backlash from Liverpool management.

Sébastien Lecornu faces a vital test to his premiership over the social security budget bill.

France’s National Assembly is set to vote on a major social security budget bill, in a critical test for the embattled Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who has pledged to deliver the country’s 2026 budget before the end of the year.

Debate on the legislation began on Tuesday afternoon. Lecornu governs without a majority in parliament, and has sought support from the Socialist Party by offering concessions, including suspending President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reform.

If lawmakers reject the plan, France could face another political crisis and a funding gap estimated at 30 billion euros ($35bn) for its healthcare, pension, and welfare systems.

“This social security budget bill is not perfect, but it is the best possible,” Lecornu wrote on X on Saturday, warning that failure to pass it would threaten social services, public finances, and the role of parliament.

Socialist leader Olivier Faure said on Monday that his party could back the bill after the government agreed to suspend Macron’s 2023 pension reform, which raised the retirement age, until after the 2027 presidential election.

But the far-right National Rally and the hard-left France Unbowed have both signalled their opposition, along with more moderate right-wing parties.

Even government allies, including the centrist Horizons party and conservative Republicans, could abstain or vote against the legislation. They argue that freezing the pension reform and raising taxes to win socialist support undermines earlier commitments.

France, the eurozone’s second-largest economy, has been under pressure to reduce its large budget deficit. But political instability has slowed those efforts since Macron’s snap election last year resulted in a hung parliament.

Lecornu, a close Macron ally, said last week that rejection of the bill would nearly double the expected shortfall from 17 billion to 30 billion euros ($20bn-$35bn), threatening the entire 2026 public spending plan.

Without a deal before year-end, the government may be forced to introduce temporary funding measures.

The government aims to bring the deficit below 5 percent of GDP next year, but its narrow political options have led to repeated clashes over public spending.

Budget disputes have already toppled three governments since last year’s election, including that of former Prime Minister Michel Barnier, who lost a no-confidence vote over his own budget bill.

HEIDI Klum turned up the heat as she stripped topless and soaked up the sunshine by a pool.

The German supermodel, 52, looked blissfully happy as she closed her eyes and raised her head towards the sun while lying on her front on a towel.

She left her blonde hair in loose waves framing her face and went make-up free as she captured her chill time in a short video posted to Instagram.

Heidi, who was fresh from her role as a World Cup 2026 Draw Presenter last week, positioned the camera directly under her face at the start of her saucy clip.

At the end of her video, the America’s Got Talent judge gave a cheeky glimpse at her purple bikini bottoms and the pool behind her before she panned the camera back to her face and shook her head.

She captioned it with a bikini, smiling face and sunshine Emoji icons.

Heidi then completed the upload by adding the Mamas and Papas song, Monday Monday in the background.

Over on Reddit, fans were quick to gush over the racy upload.

One wrote: “Still got it.”

Another wrote: “Still fire and sexy.”

The eyebrow-raising clip came after Heidi confused fans last month by posting a video of her feet as she stepped into sky-high heels.

The model is no stranger to daring attire, recently flashing her chest as she posed in a completely see-though dress.

She also stunned as she stripped to a figure-hugging bodysuit for a photoshoot with daughter Leni.

Sadly, the duo have been subject to cruel trolling from online who shamed them for their ultra sexy photoshoots together.

NEW ROLE

Last week, Heidi changed tack and joined forces with Robbie Williams at the World Cup 2026 draw in Washington DC.

Heidi Klum’s Halloweens throughout the years

Supermodel Heidi Klum is known for her extravagant Halloween costumes at her annual party. Here’s a look at her iconic disguises throughout the years:

2000: Dominatrix

2001: Lady Godiva

2002: Betty Boop

2003: Gold alien

2004: Red witch

2005: Vampire

2006: Biblical forbidden apple and snake

2007: Cat

2008: Hindu goddess Kali

2009: Crows with her then-husband Seal

2010: Giant robots with Seal

2011: Realistic apes with Seal

2012: Cleopatra

2013: Old lady

2014: Butterfly

2015: Jessica Rabbit

2016: Heidi Klum clones with five doppelgangers

2017: Werewolf from Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video

2018: Fiona and Shrek with her now-husband Tom Kaulitz

2019: Alien science experiment

2022: Giant worm with Kaulitz as a fisherman

2023: Peacock

She donned two different dresses, switching up from a red sparkling number to a black blouse and diamante skirt.

She hosted the World Cup draw alongside comedian Kevin Hart and actor Danny Ramirez at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.

And the supermodel, who previously took part in the 2006 tournament draw in her native Germany, was among the first names on the red carpet.

As Heidi switched into a third dress for the actual draw ceremony – this being a glittering gold number – things seemingly went downhill.

The Fifa production of the event featured Heidi and Kevin hosting to a very quiet room.

Both Kevin’s banter, and the jokes Heidi was presenting to him, appeared to fall flat.

Heidi and Kevin were then slammed on social media for what viewers deemed the “horrific and cringe” draw as fans urged the pair to “get on with it.”

Dec. 9 (UPI) — The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday in a case questioning whether limits on how much political parties can spend in support of candidates violate the First Amendment of the Constitution.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee brought the case against the Federal Election Commission, saying the spending limits restrict the parties’ abilities to reach and influence voters, The New York Times reported.

The FEC has set limits on coordinated spending according to each state’s voting-age population and number of members in Congress.

Attorneys for Public Citizen, a voter advocacy group, filed a brief to the Supreme Court in support of maintaining the limits.

“If those contributions, which dwarf the base limits on [individual] contributions to candidates, are effectively placed at a candidate’s disposal through coordinated spending, they become potent sources of actual or apparent corruption,” the brief said.

The effort to free up coordinated spending is one of many in recent years by Republicans that have sought to loosen campaign purse strings across the board, including the 2010 Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United vs. FEC.

The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, is expected to argue in favor of preserving coordinated spending limits, first enshrined in 1974 as a way to prevent bribery.

“This has been held constitutional at least twice before by the Supreme Court and more times by lower courts,” Democratic attorney Marc Elias said, according to ABC News.

It was just last Friday that Netflix announced a blockbuster $72-billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. film and television studios, HBO and HBO Max — a tie-up that could fundamentally change Hollywood.

Yet on Monday, the stakes got even higher, as Paramount swooped in with a $78-billion hostile takeover bid it plans to take directly to Warner Bros. Discovery’s shareholders.

Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison called the Netflix deal an “inferior proposal,” saying in a statement that it “exposes shareholders to a mix of cash and stock, an uncertain future trading value of the Global Networks linear cable business and a challenging regulatory approval process.”

It all sets the stage for a long and potentially bruising fight. And the Netflix deal would have to overcome some significant regulatory hurdles, experts told me.

“This is a deal that never should have left the boardroom,” said David Balto, an antitrust attorney and a former policy director at the Federal Trade Commission during the Clinton administration. “The competitive concerns are profound. This is going to face a lot of opposition at the Justice Department.”

For one, antitrust regulators are expected to scrutinize the market share that would be controlled by a combined Netflix and HBO Max.

Netflix outlasted its rivals in the so-called streaming wars to become the dominant platform in a crowded space. That position has led to concern that gobbling up HBO Max would give Netflix outsized power in the streaming space — potentially more than 30% — which would cross a threshold under antitrust law, according to a recent letter from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) to Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson.

Netflix executives have argued that analysis of its market share should include YouTube.

In a UBS investor conference Monday, Netflix Co-Chief Executive Greg Peters pointed to Nielsen data, which show Netflix’s shares of U.S. TV viewing is still behind YouTube‘s. Netflix represents just 8% of U.S. TV viewing in October, behind YouTube’s 12.9%.

If Netflix were to combine with Warner Bros. Discovery’s 1.3% share of U.S. TV viewing, its 9.2% would still be less than that of YouTube. (Other Nielsen data show that Warner Bros. Discovery channels have greater viewership, but Netflix is only interested in one channel, HBO).

“We think there’s a strong fundamental case here for why regulators should approve this deal,” Peters said. (The deal’s overall value is $82.7 billion due to the absorption of debt)

But who would regulators consider a competitor to Netflix? Is it YouTube, with its emphasis on shorter-form content? Or would the main competitors be other streaming services with films and series, like Disney+, Paramount+ and Peacock?

“The analytical issue there is, how do you define the market?” said George Hay, a professor of law at Cornell University and former director of economics in the Justice Department’s antitrust division. “What is their combined market share, what do they compete in and what are the alternatives available to consumers?”

The consumer angle would also invite involvement from the Federal Trade Commission. With a shrinking marketplace, the agency would likely investigate whether this could increase streaming prices for customers.

“What keeps Netflix honest is knowing there’s an HBO Max that’s right over its shoulder,” Balto said. “But once they get rid of that, they can lead the easy life, and the need to cut prices or provide better services or bid aggressively for film content — all of that will be diminished.”

Meanwhile, Hollywood unions and the Cinema United trade group have also raised concerns that a Netflix ownership of Warner Bros. would lead to fewer films being released in theaters, due to the company’s longstanding resistance to traditional movie releases. Netflix has said it would honor Warner Bros.’ theatrical release commitments and that future films without those existing deals will also go to theaters.

Beyond the U.S. concerns, Netflix would also need the blessing of regulators across the globe, and could be challenged by even state attorneys general who might have a significant number of entertainment workers in their areas who would question the effect on industry jobs.

Then, there’s the politics of it all.

President Trump himself has said he “would be involved” in his administration’s decision to bless any deal and that the combined market share of Netflix and Warner Bros. “could be a problem.”

As my colleagues Meg James and Stacy Perman have reported, Trump has openly favored Paramount’s bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, though word of Paramount backer Larry Ellison’s close ties with Trump dampened enthusiasm for the bid in Hollywood. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is now also one of the investors participating in the renewed Paramount bid.

Despite this involvement, the Trump administration may not have the final say on the deal, just as in the case of the AT&T deal for Time Warner.

For his part, Netflix Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos has also been trying to make his own case to Trump and ventured to the White House last month, Bloomberg reported.

“It’s a case in which the political issues are going to play a role,” Hay said. “They’re so front and center, and Trump has shown an inclination to get involved.”

About the only thing that’s clear is that it’s not going to be a quick process.

“This entire matter is not going to get resolved in a hurry,” said Corey Martin, managing partner at Granderson Des Rochers. “The resolution of this matter is very likely to take place over months and potentially years, and not days and weeks.”

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

Universal Pictures and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster’s horror sequel “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” ruled the domestic box office this weekend with a $63 million haul in the U.S. and Canada. While it doesn’t surpass the first movie’s $80 million opening weekend in 2023, it’s a massive boost for theaters, which have seen a string of slower months.

Menacing animatronic figures weren’t the only thing that brought moviegoers to theaters this weekend. Disney’s animated “Zootopia 2” brought in about $43 million domestically in its second outing. Globally, the sequel has now brought in a total of $915 million.

The strong recent showings for films such as “Zootopia 2” and “Wicked: For Good” have helped push 2025’s year-to-date domestic box office total to a little over $8 billion, up just barely — 0.8%, in fact — compared with last year.

Finally …

My colleague, Jeanette Marantos, wrote about the 105th anniversary of Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane lighting ceremony and festival this past weekend, a bittersweet memorial for the community after a year of heartbreak.

China’s trade surplus – the difference between the value of goods it imports and exports – has hit $1 trillion for the first time, a significant yardstick in the country’s role as “factory of the world”, making everything from socks and curtains to electric cars.

For the first 11 months of this year, China’s exports rose to $3.4 trillion while its imports declined slightly to $2.3 trillion. That brought the country’s trade surplus to about $1 trillion, China’s General Administration of Customs said on Monday.

Shipments overseas from China have boomed despite US President Donald Trump’s global trade war, largely consisting of sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs on most countries, which were launched earlier this year in a bid to reduce US trade deficits.

But China, which was initially hit with US tariffs of 145 percent before they were lowered to allow for trade talks, has emerged largely unscathed from the standoff by stepping up shipments to markets outside the US.

Following Trump’s 2024 election win, China began diversifying its export market away from the US in exchange for closer ties with Southeast Asia and the European Union. It also established new production hubs, outside of China, for low-tariff access.

Why does China have such a large trade surplus?

China’s exports returned to growth last month following an unexpected dip in October, rising to 5.9 percent more than one year earlier and far outpacing a 1.9 percent rise in imports, according to China’s General Administration of Customs.

China’s goods surplus for the first 11 months of 2025 was up 21.7 percent from the same period last year. Most of the surge was driven by strong growth in high-tech goods, which outpaced the increase in overall exports by 5.4 percent.

Auto exports, especially for electric vehicles, rallied as Chinese firms muscled in on Japanese and German market share. Total car shipments jumped by more than one million to approximately 6.5 million units this year, according to data from China-based consultancy Automobility.

And although China still trails US leaders like Nvidia in advanced chips, it is becoming dominant in the production of semiconductors (used in everything from electric cars to medical devices). Semiconductor exports rose by 24.7 percent over the period.

China’s technological advances have also boosted shipbuilding, where exports rose 26.8 percent compared with the same period in 2024.

So, given the hostile global trade backdrop, how has China achieved this?

Rerouting and diversifying

Though Washington has lowered tariffs on Chinese imports in recent months, they remain high. Average import duties on Chinese goods currently stand at 37 percent. For this reason, Chinese shipments to the US have dropped by 29 percent year-on-year to November.

Some Chinese companies have shifted their production facilities to Southeast Asia, Mexico and Africa, enabling them to bypass Trump’s tariffs on goods arriving directly from China. Despite this, overall trade between the two countries remains down.

In the first eight months of this year, for instance, the US imported roughly $23bn in goods from Indonesia, an increase of nearly one-third on the same period in 2024. It is widely understood that the rise is down to Chinese goods being redirected via Indonesia.

“The role of trade rerouting in offsetting the drag from US tariffs still appears to be increasing,” Zichun Huang, an economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a note to clients on Monday. Huang added that “exports to Vietnam, the top [Chinese] rerouting hub, continued to grow rapidly.”

As trade with the US has slackened, China has doubled down on developing ties with other major trading partners. That includes a 15 percent surge in Chinese shipments to the EU, compared with the year before, and an 8.2 percent rise in exports to countries in Southeast Asia.

Weaker currency

Another reason for China’s trading success is that its currency has been cheap, compared with others, in recent years. A lower renminbi makes exports relatively inexpensive to produce, and imports relatively expensive to consume.

China maintains a “managed float” of the renminbi – meaning the central bank intervenes in foreign exchange markets to maintain its value against other currencies – with the aim of keeping the price stable.

For years, many economists have argued that China’s currency is undervalued. In their view, that gives exporters a competitive edge by boosting the appeal of cheap Chinese products at the expense of other countries, leading to large imbalances in trade.

Indeed, taking into account global inflationary dynamics, the real effective exchange rate – a measure of the competitiveness of Chinese goods – is actually at its weakest level since 2012.

How has China got here?

China’s eye-watering $1 trillion trade surplus – never before recorded in economic history – is the culmination of decades of industrial policies that have enabled China to emerge from a low-income agrarian society in the 1970s to become the world’s second-largest economy today.

China established itself as a dependable producer of low-cost manufactured goods, like T-shirts and shoes, in the 1980s. Since then, it has climbed the industrial ladder to higher-value goods, such as electric vehicles and solar panels.

By far its largest sector in terms of exports is electronics. China exported a total of more than $1 trillion-worth of electronic goods around the world in 2024. This follows the pattern of other industrialised countries by starting with simple, labour-intensive goods and then moving into more complex sectors. However, China has done so with unusual scale and speed to cement its dominance across numerous global supply chains.

It also dominates trade in rare-earth metals, which are crucial for the manufacture of a wide range of goods from smartphones to fighter jets.

Twelve of the 17 rare earth metals on the periodic table can be found in China, and it mines between 60 percent and 70 percent of the world’s rare-earth resources. It also carries out 90 percent of the processing of these metals for commercial use.

For historical context, China’s trade surplus in factory goods is larger as a share of its economy than the US ran in the years after World War II, when most other manufacturing nations were emerging from the ruins of war.

How are other countries responding to China’s expanding dominance?

Many are looking for ways to redress the balance.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited China last week, warned the EU may take “strong measures”, including imposing higher tariffs, should Beijing fail to address the imbalance.

The EU already imposes additional tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), which range from 17 percent to 35.3 percent, for example, on top of its existing 10 percent import duty.
Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, arrived in China for a two-day trip on Monday this week, becoming the latest senior European official to visit for talks amid the country’s rapidly expanding goods trade with Europe.

Before his trip, Wadephul said he planned to raise the issue of tariffs with his Chinese counterparts, particularly those involving rare earths, in addition to concerns about industrial “overcapacities”, which he said are distorting global prices for industrial goods.

Will China’s exports continue to grow?

Despite efforts by the US and other wealthy countries to diversify away from China, few economists expect the country’s broad-based trade momentum to slow anytime soon.

Economists at Morgan Stanley predict China’s share of global goods exports will reach 16.5 percent by the end of the decade, up from 15 percent now, reflecting China’s ability to adapt quickly to shifting global demand.

More immediately, China’s strong trade performance means the annual growth target – set by Beijing to guide economic policy and to align regional governments – of about 5 percent is likely to be met.

Cameroon is experiencing a severe shortage of HIV/AIDS test kits following a 74 per cent reduction in financial assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The US agency funding in Cameroon has focused on health initiatives, including HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis; humanitarian aid, such as food security and support for refugees, and governance. However, significant cuts to this funding in 2025 have adversely affected many health projects, forcing Cameroon to revise its budget.

The United States is the largest bilateral donor of humanitarian assistance in Cameroon, contributing over $650 million annually since 2014. This funding has provided emergency food assistance to more than 1.4 million people, delivered essential relief supplies, and promoted maternal and child health initiatives.

The Adamawa region of the country is facing a significant shortage of HIV/AIDS test kits, making it one of the hardest-hit areas. According to the Regional Technical Group for the fight against HIV/AIDS, the situation in the region is critical. Approximately 5.5 per cent of individuals living with the virus are unaware of their serological status, and 4 per cent of those infected have not yet started antiretroviral treatment.

Among those receiving effective treatment, 9.4% have not yet achieved the goal of suppressing the viral load, a necessary condition for slowing down the transmission of the virus. Recently, a sensitisation march took place in Ngaoundere, the regional capital of Adamawa. During this event, the Regional Technical Group for the fight against HIV-AIDS urged the community to remain vigilant. They also encouraged individuals living with HIV to consistently adhere to their medication regimen.

Despite a 74 per cent reduction in USAID funding, Cameroon continues to provide antiretroviral treatment to AIDS patients.

At the HIV-AIDS unit of the Protestant Hospital of Ngaoundere, which serves approximately 2,000 patients, access to testing, the critical first step, is currently very limited. This restriction complicates the identification of new cases and hinders referrals to available treatment options.

In 2024, Cameroon was estimated to have 480,232 people living with HIV, with approximately 10,000 new cases recorded that year. Although HIV remains a significant public health challenge, there has been encouraging progress, including a 50% reduction in HIV prevalence among individuals aged 15 to 64 over the past 14 years. According to the most recent Demographic Health Survey (DHS) conducted in 2018, the prevalence decreased from 5.4 per cent in 2004 to 4.3 per cent in 2011, and further down to 2.7 per cent in 2018.

Hamsatou Hadja, the permanent secretary of Cameroon’s National AIDS Control Committee, attributed the decline in HIV cases to a targeted strategy. “The fight against HIV is organised around a national vision aimed at eliminating AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. This involves reducing new infections, deaths, and the stigma associated with HIV,” Hamsatou said.

The country is on track to achieve the global “95-95-95” target, which aims for 95 per cent of people living with HIV to know their status, 95 per cent of those who know their status to be on treatment, and 95 per cent of those on antiretroviral therapy to have a suppressed viral load. According to the Committee, the rates in 2022 were 95.8 per cent, 92.3 per cent, and 89.2 per cent, respectively.

USAID funding cuts in 2025 have had widespread consequences across Africa, undermining health systems and humanitarian programs. Cameroon’s HIV/AIDS crisis is part of this broader trend, where reduced U.S. support has disrupted testing and treatment services.

The ITV News journalist has opened up about the ‘agonising’ trip she made following the death of her husband, who passed away in 2022

ITV News Arts Editor Nina Nannar has shared her heartache following the death of her husband. Her partner of 23 years passed away due to complications from kidney disease in 2022, leaving behind their 19-year-old daughter Mimi.

In a recent heartfelt interview, Nina spoke about her “agonising” journey to New Zealand to scatter the ashes of her late husband, Steve Ronson.

The 57-year-old told Norfolk magazine that she had been planning and “dreading” this trip for over a year as it was a “heartbreaking mission”.

She intended to return Steve’s ashes to his homeland of New Zealand but confessed she wasn’t emotionally prepared.

The broadcaster admitted to sleepless nights worrying about whether she could manage her grief and not “be embarrassing” in front of his friends.

Nina confided in the publication: “Even though Steve has been gone three years, the sorrow I feel over his loss still manages to cripple me in unexpected moments, of leaving me still in despair and disbelief that he is no longer here.”

She expressed gratitude towards her friends for supporting her “through my irrational moments” and “times of agony”, reports the Express.

Nina added: “My grief is raw, but this trip Mimi and I made did help us in a huge way.” During their visit to New Zealand, Nina and Mimi joined Steve’s friends at his favourite surf beach where they sang their “family anthem”, Return Of The Grievous Angel.

They also congregated at a beach on the Coramandel Peninsula, where Nina captured a video and sent it to his sister, Chris.

She asked Nina if she had spotted an orb of green light traversing the video, which Nina hoped was a sign from Steve.

Kidney Research UK reported that Steve was born with reflux, a condition affecting a valve in the ureter, causing urine to flow in the wrong direction, from the bladder back into the kidney.

He endured three and a half years on dialysis before receiving a kidney transplant that lasted for 30 years. In 2021, he underwent surgery to remove a lump, but doctors found cancer cells.

A year later, the cancer cells had spread, leading to the removal of Steve’s ear the day after his 60th birthday. Tragically, he passed away in 2022, surrounded by his loved ones.

Yemen’s Southern Transition Council has declared itself in control of the country’s south, raising fears they will declare independence. Members of the internationally-backed government have fled. So what is the STC? Soraya Lennie explains.

The new National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill released by Congress Sunday night calls for maintaining funding of arms purchases for Ukraine, though at a rate drastically less than in the past, and support, albeit with caveats, to European allies. The legislation, which still must be approved separately by both the House and Senate, comes days after the White House released its National Security Strategy that distances America from support for Ukraine and Europe. It was also released as U.S President Donald Trump is seeking to end the war and Ukraine continues to lose ground to Russia.

Given that under the Biden administration the U.S. provided nearly $70 billion in direct military aid to Ukraine, the NDAA’s allocations could even be considered something of a symbolic measure aimed at reassuring Kyiv that the U.S. has not completely abandoned it. It continues the Trump administration’s efforts to put the onus of support for Ukraine on European NATO members.

On Monday afternoon, a White House official told The War Zone that the administration supports the $900 billion policy measure, “and has been working diligently to formulate a plan that will bring a durable, enforceable peace to the war in Ukraine.” The Pentagon declined comment because it does not speak about pending legislation.

The bill calls for the Pentagon to include $400 million in both Fiscal Year 2026 and Fiscal Year 2027 for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). That’s a pool of money that Ukraine can use to obtain arms from U.S. defense contractors. In the past, the money has been used to allow Ukraine to purchase ammunition, air defense interceptors and other war materiel.

The NDAA’s call for continued USAI funding for Ukraine is a far cry from the nearly $33 billion allocated for the program under the Biden administration and will provide a very limited amount of weapons. 

Earlier this year, the White House announced the creation of the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), designed to sell weapons from U.S. stocks to NATO nations, which would then turn them over to Ukraine in $500 million tranches. In addition, the Trump administration has yet to authorize any arms for Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which funds the replacement of arms shipped to allies directly from U.S. stocks. The Biden administration allocated more than $33 billion in PDA funding to Ukraine, but it does not appear likely Trump will use this authority to help Ukraine.

The NDAA also calls for the Pentagon to notify Congress within 48 hours if it plans to stop providing intelligence support to Ukraine, something that happened earlier this year. That notification would include justifying the cut-off, its planned duration and how it would impact “the ability of Ukraine to conduct effective military operations.”

The cutoff of U.S. intelligence “significantly impacts Ukrainian force protection of High Value Equipment’s shoot, move and scoot timelines, indications and warning of high-threat aircraft,” a retired high-ranking Ukrainian officer told us in March. “It significantly hampers the ability to target Russian forces and conduct long-range strikes against critical, mobile high-value targets.”

The lack of satellite imagery over Kursk also played a role in Russia’s ability to end Ukraine’s invasion of that region, the retired officer added.

However, as we noted in October, the United States agreed to provide Ukraine with targeting intelligence for its long-range strikes against Russian energy infrastructure. 

The bill also calls for “an accounting” of military aid to Ukraine provided by the U.S. and allies, including under the PURL and USAI programs.

Beyond Ukraine, the NDAA seeks to continue support for NATO allies. It calls on the Secretary of Defense in coordination with the commander of U.S. European Command to establish a $175 million ‘‘Baltic Security Initiative,” aimed at “deepening security cooperation with the military forces of the Baltic countries” (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania).

(The current head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, has replaced the word Defense with War when it comes to the name of the department he oversees. The NDAA, meanwhile, continues to use the terms Department of Defense and Secretary of Defense).

The goal, according to the document, is to “achieve United States national security objectives by deterring aggression by the Russian Federation; and implementing NATO’s Strategic Concept, which seeks to strengthen the Alliance’s deterrence and defense posture by denying potential adversaries any possible opportunities for aggression.”

In addition, the initiative seeks to enhance regional planning and cooperation among the military forces of the Baltic nations, particularly when it comes to long-range precision fires, integrated air and missile defense, maritime domain awareness, stockpiling large caliber ammunition, command and control, intelligence gathering and improving “resilience to hybrid threats.”

However, while calling for support for the Baltics, the spending measure also says it is the “sense of Congress” that these three countries match the spending by the U.S. on this initiative.

The bill also seeks protection against signficant cuts to U.S. forces in Europe. It requires the Pentagon, EUCOM and other relevant agencies to obtain Congressional approval before cutting the U.S. troop levels in Europe to less than 76,000 troops. 

The move comes after the U.S. began pulling forces out of the continent, where there are currently about 85,000 troops stationed. Earlier this year, the U.S. Army sent about 800 troops from Romania back stateside.

While the spending measure signals an enduring, if somewhat symbolic commitment to Ukraine, it also states that NATO allies must pay for the cost of the U.S. troop presence on the continent and for the Secretary of War to “take into account a NATO ally’s progress toward meeting the alliance’s commitment to defense spending at 5% of GDP when making decisions related to military basing and training.”

Meanwhile, the 33-page White House National Security Strategy document released by the White House last week seeks a speedy end to the nearly four-year-old full on war and better relations with Russia. It says Europe is facing “civilizational erasure” and does not cast Russia as a threat to the U.S. 

“It is a core interest of the United States to negotiate an expeditious cessation of hostilities in Ukraine,” the NSS states. The goal is to “stabilize European economies, prevent unintended escalation or expansion of the war, and reestablish strategic stability with Russia, as well as to enable the post-hostilities reconstruction of Ukraine to enable its survival as a viable state.”

European leaders have pushed back against the NSS while Russia seems to support it.

“The adjustments we’re seeing… are largely consistent with our vision,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday. “We consider this a positive step.”

Amid all this, Trump’s diplomatic efforts to end the conflict continue to drag on with little progress while Russia continues to chew up Ukrainian territory.

The latest development is that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is meeting with European leaders in London “to discuss peace talks that have languished because of clashing views about how to end his country’s nearly four-year-old war with Russia,” The New York Times noted.

“Very important things for today are the unity between Europe and Ukraine, as well as the unity between Europe, Ukraine, and the United States,” Zelensky said Monday in a post on X. “Grateful to the leaders of Great Britain, Keir Starmer, France – Emmanuel Macron, and Germany – Friedrich Merz for organizing the meeting and the personal contribution of each on the path to establishing peace. We discussed in detail today our joint diplomatic work with the American side, agreed on a common position regarding the importance of security guarantees, reconstruction, and next steps. Separately, we talked about further defense support for Ukraine.”

STRICTLY’s Tyler West and Love Island star Chloe Burrows are set to be the new hosts of the KISS FM Breakfast Show in a surprising shake up.

The show has been hosted by Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely since 2020, but the duo sensationally quit just last week.

And now, their surprising reality star replacements have been confirmed.

Tyler, who currently presents afternoons on Kiss, is moving to the early bird slot with Chloe from the end of January.

He said of the new opportunity: “‘KISS FAM! The mornings are gonna be unreal! Taking over from my boys Jordan and Perri is huge… but trust me I’m ready to bring it!

“It’s time for big laughs and bigger tunes. KISS is where home is – this is your new breakfast show where the door is always open. It’s gonna be carnage!”

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While Chloe, who hasn’t previously hosted radio before but has her own podcast, described the opportunity as her “dream job”,

She said: “I can’t believe I’m saying this – I’m joining KISS! While I know I’ve got big shoes to fill, stepping into the station that I’ve been a HUGE fan of growing up will feel like being launched into my dream job at 100 miles an hour.

“Being the newbie, I know that working alongside Tyler and a world-class team of producers will give me the perfect introduction.

She rounded off: “I’m more than ready to bring the laughs and every ounce of energy I’ve got for the KISS Breakfast listeners. I’m buzzing!”

Chloe rose to fame after appearing on Love Island back in 2021, while Tyler is a presenter and starred on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022, during which he met fiancée Molly Rainford.

The show rivals the likes of Capital Breakfast Show with Jordan North, Sian Welby and Chris Stark, Radio 1’s Breakfast with Greg James, and Hits Radio Breakfast with Fleur East, James & Matt.

It is not yet confirmed who will take over Tyler’s afternoon show, with the news set to be revealed early next year.

Jordan and Perri revealed they have stepped down from the show last week during an on-air announcement.

The duo, who joined the station in 2020, said: “We have some very big news… there’s no easy way to say this, we are moving on from KISS Breakfast.

“It’s been quite the journey for the last five and a half years and we’ve spent every single morning with you guys.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure, a privilege to wake up with you guys and have a laugh.

They continued: “It’s been the most special years of our lives, genuinely, and we’ve enjoyed every single moment.

“We’re going to get some lie ins back which is going to be a little bit weird to adjust too, but we do get to focus on all the other things that we get to do.”

Tickets for North Korea‘s 2026 Pyongyang International Marathon, set for April 5 in the country’s capital, have sold out just a few hours after sales opened, a Beijing-based tour agency said Tuesday.

Koryo Tours, which specializes in travel to North Korea, broke the news on its social media account, saying, “After less than 5 hours the Pyongyang Marathon trips sold out completely, 500 spots on the trips are now all taken.”

The agency said it is working to open additional spots for the trip and urged readers to join a waiting list.

The tour agency’s website earlier announced that next year’s Pyongyang International Marathon will be held on April 5, with departures for the trip available from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang.

The event offers four courses, from the full 42-kilometer run to the half marathon, 10 km and 5 km races, and is also open to runners with disabilities, including wheelchair users and those with visual impairments.

Holders of South Korean, U.S., Malaysian or Japanese passports, as well as members of the press, are prohibited, it said.

The international event, previously named the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, was inaugurated in 1981 to commemorate the April 15 birthday of late national founder Kim Il-sung.

Beginning in 2020, it was suspended for five consecutive years due to the COVID-19 pandemic before being resumed last year as a channel for the country to earn foreign currency.

Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.

The early 1980s Los Angeles of my childhood always felt like a place where you could brush against greatness and not even recognize it.

Take the strange, faceless building at Melrose and Sycamore avenues, just up from the house where I grew up. It stood apart from the Melrose Avenue hodgepodge, which included an auto body shop, an old bookstore famous for selling movie scripts, and a trendy boutique that sold vintage fedoras and marked the beginning of Melrose’s turn as a fashion mecca.

In a street filled with signage screaming for your attention (“THOUSANDS OF BOOKS,” yelled the bookseller), that corner lot had nothing. Just two concrete-plastered boxes seemingly closed off to the world. The only hint of life was a tree growing from what appeared to be some kind of courtyard hidden from view. I passed by all the time — sneaking a Chunky bar at the corner liquor store, grabbing an ice cream cone from Baskin-Robbins.

I didn’t give the building a second thought until my best friend and I started a little weekly newspaper we photocopied for 3½ cents a copy from a shop a few doors away. Jack and I hit up Melrose merchants to buy ads (usually just their business card), and a few agreed to help these teenage publishing tycoons. Because of this, cracking the code of that strange little building became a brief obsession. One day, I found a door around the side and knocked. No answer. So I left a copy of our paper and returned a few days later. No luck. So I gave up. Why was I wasting my time with this piece of junk?

It took another 15 years to learn that the concrete box I so easily dismissed is one of L.A. architectural treasures. It is called the Danziger Studio and was one of architect Frank Gehry’s first L.A. commissions.

Even back in the 1960s, it was hailed as something special. Architecture critic Reyner Banham called it a brilliant elevation of the “stucco box” so ubiquitous around the city. As it turned out, the surface was not concrete but “a gray rough stucco of the type sprayed onto freeway overpasses. Gehry had to learn the decidedly unconventional technique himself,” according to the Los Angeles Conservancy.

A vintage postcard from the collection of L.A. Times staff writer Patt Morrison shows a May Co. department store and its clean lines.

In his obituary for Gehry, Christopher Hawthorne described the studio as a “spare, even self-effacing stucco box, plain outside and filled with light and surprising spatial complexity inside.” The building “looked Modern but also suggested sympathy for the postwar visual chaos of L.A. evident in the work of artists such as Ed Ruscha and David Hockney.”

I discovered the provenance of the hidden gem in the 1990s, when Gehry had reached “starchitect” status with his shape-shifting museum in Bilbao, Spain, and just before he gained legend status for L.A.’s Disney Hall. The Danzinger Studio shared none of those over-the-top designs. But that made me more impressed. I started driving by whenever I was in the neighborhood, slowing down in hopes of understanding what made it great. One day, I even gave it a walk-around, assuming it must look a lot better inside. (It turns out it does.)

I came to appreciate its beauty and grace — as well as something much larger about L.A. design. Suddenly, my idea of great architecture broadened beyond the ornate church, grand mansion, distinctive Spanish Colonial or gleaming glass skyscrapers like the Westin Bonaventure hotel. I gained a respect for the simplicity of design and function over style, like a cute working-class courtyard apartment, the streamlined simplicity of a May Co. department store and even the crazed efficiency of a mini-mall.

Plaza Cienega is in the Beverly Grove area of Los Angeles.

(Google street view)

I have wondered whether I would have valued the Danziger Studio had it not been designed by Gehry. But it didn’t matter, because this discovery gave me the confidence to have my own, sometimes unpopular, L.A. opinions. I am in the minority, for example, in loving the much-derided 1960s brown-box addition to the old Times Mirror Square complex just as much as the landmark Art Deco original. And sorry, the mini-mall at 3rd Street and La Cienega Boulevard is one of my favorite L.A. buildings, period.

Trust me. I know.

Al Jazeera speaks to Syrians as they celebrate one year since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

Damascus, Syria – Syrians have marked the first anniversary of the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad with fireworks and jubilant celebrations in major cities, amid renewed optimism for long-lasting freedom and safety after 14 years of war.

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa told large crowds in Damascus on Monday that the country had turned the page from a “dark chapter” in its history and now “looks towards a promising future”.

Over the past year, al-Sharaa’s government has taken steps to provide basic services to citizens, as millions of refugees weigh the decision to return home.

Al-Sharaa promised to bring justice to the families of the victims of the al-Assad regime and build an inclusive Syria, amid ongoing efforts to bring all armed forces under Damascus’s authority. His government also managed to reshape foreign ties and obtain the lifting of international sanctions.

Despite bouts of sectarian violence, recurring Israeli attacks and deep economic challenges, Syrians remain largely confident that the end of the al-Assad family’s decades-long tyrannical rule has ushered in a new era of stability.

Al Jazeera spoke to Syrians celebrating in public squares on Monday about what they expect from the new government and their hopes for the future.

Lina al-Masri

Today truly feels like a celebration. Syria is free. We are living in safety. This is a happiness we haven’t seen among Syrians in ages.

We fully support [al-Sharaa’s] administration, wholeheartedly and sincerely. For now, the state has done everything well. Most importantly, it has provided us with security. It has ensured that our youth can go out safely, and that’s the greatest achievement so far.

We were worried, sitting in fear for our young men and boys, anxious that they might be taken and not return, or die. But now, the streets are filled with our youth walking safely. Our men walk freely and safely without any fear.

Khaled Jaboush

Injustice and oppression have been lifted off the shoulders of Syrian citizens. Now they can express their feelings, their liberty, and their beliefs.

You see the crowds out here – they came out of their own free will. In the past, people used to march out of obligation. Today, the people came out willingly, joyful and happy with their [newfound] freedom.

We are delighted with the wise leadership we have. We are happy with the development and progress which, God willing, will prevail in our country. Today, God willing, the economy has begun to grow, and the wheel is starting to turn.

It’s an indescribable feeling. After decades of injustice and oppression, we got our freedom back. The freedom we were denied for 50 years.

Yehya and Hussein

Everyone is chanting, everyone is together, all in harmony. I feel the security forces and the army are now part of us. You pass by, and they greet you without hesitation. You don’t feel scared, like someone’s out to get you.

We used to dream of charging our phones. Now we have electricity, we have lights, we have comfort.

I’ve lived abroad my whole life because of al-Assad’s oppressive regime. When I came back here, I felt like I’m living in my country for the first time.

There were times when I visited Syria, but I felt like an outsider. Now, no – now I feel like I belong in my own country.

I hope today continues to be a lasting symbol of peace for us and for our entire country.

Rima al-Omari

Everything is evolving. There are some nice initiatives and beautiful partnerships with other countries. So hopefully, our country will flourish.

Work opportunities in ministries have become easier; they care about the country and the people’s circumstances.

Services are improving step by step. Of course, everything starts small, but we’re lacking nothing. Everything is available, thank God.

The Syrian people have improved, too. They’ve become warmer, more passionate, and found something to rebuild this country on. They’ve got a life now.

Council on American-Islamic Relations has responded to the designation, calling it an ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘defamatory’ proclamation.

Florida’s governor has designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) a “foreign terrorist organisation”.

Ron DeSantis posted his executive order to list the United States-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy group on social media on Monday.

The move follows a similar declaration by the Republican governor of Texas last month. CAIR has rejected the labelling by both states and mounted legal challenges.

In a separate post, DeSantis asserted that the Florida Legislature is “crafting legislation to stop the creep of Sharia law, and I hope that they codify these protections for Floridians against CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood in their legislation”.

The designation, which triggers heightened oversight by state law enforcement agencies and establishes financial and operational restrictions, was also declared against the Muslim Brotherhood.

DeSantis’s order asserted that CAIR was “founded by persons connected to the Muslim Brotherhood”, which, without offering evidence, the governor asserted was attempting to establish “a world-wide Islamic caliphate” and has direct links to Hamas.

The order instructs Florida agencies to prevent the two groups and those who have provided them with material support from receiving contracts, employment and funds from a state executive or cabinet agency.

Neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood is designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US government.

However, President Donald Trump has ordered the start of a process to label the branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan as “terrorist” organisations, citing their alleged support for Hamas.

CAIR’s Florida chapter told The Associated Press news agency that it plans to sue DeSantis in response to what it called an “unconstitutional” and “defamatory” proclamation.

The group accused the Florida governor of serving foreign interests and lashing out at CAIR due to its civil rights work.

“From the moment Ron DeSantis took office as Florida governor, he has prioritised serving the Israeli government over serving the people of Florida,” CAIR and its Florida chapter said in a statement.

“He hosted his very first official cabinet meeting in Israel. He diverted millions in Florida taxpayer dollars to the Israeli government’s bonds. He threatened to shut down every Florida college’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, only to back off when CAIR sued him in federal court.”

Founded in 1994, CAIR has 25 chapters around the country. Last month, it asked a federal judge to strike down the designation declared against it by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

In a lawsuit, CAIR said Abbott’s move was “not only contrary to the United States Constitution, but finds no support in any Texas law”.

On Monday, it said DeSantis and Abbott are both “Israel First politicians” and asserted that their designations are intended to silence American Muslims critical of US support for Israeli war crimes.

The Muslim Brotherhood was established in Egypt nearly a century ago and has branches around the world. Its leaders say they seek to set up Islamic rule through elections and other non-violent means.

The beloved 2003 Christmas film that became a box office smash and stars some of Britain’s most famous actors airs on ITV2 tonight for the perfect festive night in

Initially launched in 2003, this beloved film has cemented its status as a seasonal must-watch, drawing audiences back year after year for repeat viewings. Tonight, ITV provides the perfect opportunity for a cosy festive evening in with this Christmas classic.

Both written and helmed by British cinema icon Richard Curtis, Love Actually perfectly encapsulates the essence of a distinctly British Christmas.

The production boasts an impressive ensemble cast, featuring several actors who have collaborated with Curtis on multiple occasions, most notably Hugh Grant.

Set predominantly in London, the narrative weaves through diverse expressions of love across multiple storylines – spanning bereavement and first romance to unreturned affection, matrimony, and workplace attraction, delivering a comprehensive emotional spectrum.

These universally relatable themes consistently draw audiences back year after year, sparking ongoing discussions across social media platforms.

A dedicated Reddit thread about the movie reveals countless viewer opinions, with many confessing to multiple viewings. One fan declared, “Freaking love it; have to watch it every Christmas season. Nothing will ever make me hate this movie.”

Another enthusiast proclaimed, “Literally the most iconic rom-com of all time. I absolutely love watching it every year. It’s not the greatest movie, but it is so comforting, and I love the entire cast. I can’t not watch this movie.”

The movie kicks off six weeks before Christmas and tracks these characters’ journeys in a weekly build-up to the festive season. We witness the interconnected stories of these families and couples across London, as many dive into fresh romantic adventures, ranging from a schoolboy’s innocent infatuation to a workplace liaison, and even the newly appointed Prime Minister developing feelings for a member of his team.

This stellar ensemble features the talents of Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, and the late, beloved Alan Rickman. The cast also features Thomas Brodie-Sangster as a child actor, portraying Liam Neeson’s character’s stepson. Additionally, we see performances from Keira Knightley and Billy Nighy in this quintessentially British star-studded mix.

Numerous memorable quotes and moments have become embedded in pop culture and remain widely referenced to this day. One fan highlights a particular sequence, noting: “I think about/watch that montage where Andrew Lincoln is walking around the city distraught while Dido plays in the background at least once a month.”

Another enthusiast shared: “I love it! It’s definitely a Christmas tradition for me, and watching Hugh Grant dance to Jump For My Love lives in my head rent-free.”

A different viewer commented: “It’s really corny. I can see it being a comfort movie for lots of people.” Meanwhile, someone else offered a more sceptical take: “I enjoy the movie, but it’s one I can’t think too hard about, because then I end up focusing on just how unhealthy and doomed all the relationships actually are.”

If you fancy a rewatch or a first-time viewing of Love Actually, you’re in luck, as it’s scheduled to air on ITV2 tonight at 9pm. If that doesn’t suit your schedule, don’t fret – the film is also available for streaming on both Amazon Prime and Netflix.

Dec. 9 (UPI) — Police investigating Sunday’s devastating Goa nightclub fire said the establishment’s owners have fled to Thailand, according to reports.

Twenty-five people were killed and six injured in the blaze at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, located in India’s southwestern coastal state of Goa.

Authorities have arrested at least four people in connection with the fire and have issued arrest warrants for nightclub owners Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, who are brothers.

A Monday statement from Goa Police said the brothers had fled to Phuket a few hours after the fire began, The Times of India and Financial Express reported.

The Luthra brothers had departed on a 5:30 a.m. local-time Sunday IndiGo flight, authorities said.

Goa Police said that after a formal complaint was recorded against them, officers raided their Delhi addresses. Lookout notices for the brothers have since been circulated by the Bureau of Immigration, Goa Police said.

Authorities are now coordinating with Interpol to arrest the two men.

The fire erupted shortly before midnight Saturday.

A magisterial inquiry into the fire found major procedural lapses by local authorities, All India Radio News reported.

Failing to seal off the premises, permitting it to operate illegally since March 2024, was named among the lapses.

In the last year, Israel averaged nearly two daily attacks on Syria and grabbed more land in the occupied Golan Heights.

It has been one year since a lightning offensive by allied rebel groups led to the fall of Damascus, ending the al-Assad dynasty’s 54-year reign.

Yet, as the regime collapsed, Israel seized on the instability by significantly escalating its military campaign in Syria, targeting much of its neighbour’s military infrastructure, including major airports, air defence systems, fighter jets, and other strategic facilities.

Over the past year, Israel has launched more than 600 air, drone or artillery attacks across Syria, averaging nearly two attacks a day, according to a tally by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED).

The map below shows the ACLED-recorded Israeli attacks between December 8, 2024 and November 28, 2025.

The bulk of the Israeli attacks have been concentrated in the southern Syrian governorates of Quneitra, Deraa, and Damascus, which account for nearly 80 percent of all recorded Israeli attacks.

• Quneitra, adjacent to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, was attacked at least 232 times.
• Deraa was the second most targeted governorate, with 167 recorded attacks focusing on former regime military sites and suspected arms convoys.
• Damascus governorate, which hosts key military highways and logistics hubs, was attacked at least 77 times. Damascus city, the capital, was attacked at least 20 times.

Why is Israel attacking Syria?

While Israel’s air attacks have escalated this past year, it has been attacking Syria for years, justifying its actions by claiming to eliminate Iranian military installations.

Since the fall of the al-Assad government, Israel claims it is trying to prevent weapons from landing in the hands of “extremists” – a term it has applied to a rotating list of actors, most recently including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the primary Syrian opposition group that led the operation to overthrow al-Assad.

Just four days after the fall of al-Assad, Israel announced it had achieved total air superiority by destroying more than 80 percent of Syria’s air defence systems, in order to prevent the new Syrian state from posing any military threat.

Since taking power following the overthrow of al-Assad, President Ahmed al-Sharaa has consistently stated that his government seeks no conflict with Israel and will not permit Syria to be used by foreign actors to launch attacks.

Israel grabs more Syrian land

In the days following the fall of al-Assad, Israeli troops crossed into the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, which Israel has occupied since 1967, violating the 1974 UN-brokered ceasefire agreement with Syria.

The Israeli military has established several military outposts, including at Jabal al-Sheikh, in nearby villages, and within other areas of the United Nations-monitored demilitarised zone, where it has carried out frequent air raids and ground incursions.

Israel’s invasion of Syrian land has drawn widespread international criticism. The UN, along with several Arab nations, condemned Israel’s actions as breaches of international law and violations of Syria’s sovereignty.

Despite these condemnations, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in February that Israeli forces would remain in the area indefinitely to “protect Israeli citizens” and “prevent hostile entities from gaining a foothold” near the border.

To visualise the scale, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights spans 1,200sq km (463sq miles), an area roughly the size of New York City or Greater Manchester. The UN buffer zone covers another 235sq km (91sq miles), comparable to the size of the city of Baltimore. Additionally, Israel has seized an estimated 420sq km (162sq miles) of Syrian land beyond the buffer zone, a territory roughly the size of Denver.

The slider below details the areas Israel has occupied over the past year.

MICHELLE Keegan enjoyed a visit to a £1,260 a night swanky hotel with Mark Wright and their daughter amid the couple’s ‘most lavish Christmas yet’.

The Brassic actress shared a series of snaps from their stay at London‘s Corinthia Hotel in London on her Instagram on Monday.

She captioned the pictures: “A little bit of Christmas magic this weekend” and the first saw her enjoying a glass of wine in the hotel’s bar.

Michelle, 38, wore a beige sleeveless, roll neck jumper and retro style glasses as she posed for the snap, while in others, she had switched into a pair of black satin trousers and a matching top.

The garment had a lace panel down the side, revealing a hint of her bra and trim waist.

The couple also posed for a lift selfie, with Mark, 38, holding their daughter Palma, who looked adorable in a red knitted cardigan – which read Palma Believes – and white tights.

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Michelle also shared snaps of the hotel’s impressive Christmas trees and of their Italian meal.

Their festive trip to the capital is another part of the new parents’ plans to pull out all the stops for their first Christmas with their baby girl.

The couple are well known for their over-the-top Christmases, but this year is extra special because of their daughter.

Sources say the Wrights plan on making this festive season “one to remember”, with “no expense spared” as they go all out, and have already shown off the incredible decorations both inside and outside their Essex mansion.

An insider close to the couple told OK!: “Mark loves Christmas and he’s wanted a family for a long time, so for him it couldn’t get any better.

“He’s like an excited puppy dog and cherishing every minute of it. It means the world to him.

“When it comes to presents, he’ll be spoiling them both – Mark doesn’t know how to reign it in!”

The source added that Michelle – who gave birth in March – can’t wait to spend some quality time with her little family this Christmas.

They said: “She’s been really busy but family is her priority. It’s lovely to have some special time together, especially because at one point she and Mark were practically living separate lives because of work.

“Her family are coming down from Manchester but it’s very much a Wright Christmas – family comes first and it’s very important for them to be all together. It’ll be lovely seeing all the kids together.”