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Hegseth moves to sever Pentagon ties with Scouting America: report

Nov. 25 (UPI) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning to cut ties with Scouting America for attacking what he called “boy-friendly spaces,” according to leaked documents made public Tuesday.

In the documents, first reported by NPR, Hegseth criticizes Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts, for straying far from what he characterized as its original mission and promoting “gender confusion.”

Since taking office, Hegseth has opened a new front in the culture war as he’s tried to weed out initiatives he’s argued have prioritized political correctness at the expense of military readiness. Now, Hegseth appears to be coming for the military’s century-old relationship with the organizations.

“The organization once endorsed by President Theodore Roosevelt no longer supports the future of American boys,” Hegseth reportedly wrote.

The documents are draft memos to Congress arguing the Pentagon should ban Scout troops from meeting at military bases while severing congressionally mandated support to the National Jamboree, an event that attracts as many as 20,000 scouts to a location in West Virginia, according to NPR.

Scouting America responded with a statement expressing surprise and sadness over the documents, saying that scouts still “swear a duty to God and country.”

The organization noted that “an enormous percentage of those in our military academies” come from scouting programs and many go on to serve in the armed forces. It also pushed back on Hegseth’s assertion that Scouting America is “no longer a meritocracy,” saying that badges and ranks are earned.

“Scouting will never turn its back on the children of our military families,” the organization said in the statement. “Just as we always have, Scouts will continue to put duty to country above duty to self and will remain focused on serving all American families in the U.S. and abroad.”

Scouting America has seen significant changes since it was first founded in 1910 with the aim of instilling good citizenship in boys with outdoor-oriented activities and community service projects. In 2013, it allowed gay members, followed by allowing girls to join years later and adopting its gender neutral name last year.

The Pentagon declined to comment to NPR on the memos, describing them as “leaked documents that we cannot authenticate and that may be pre-decisional.”

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Ukraine says ‘understanding’ reached with US on peace plan, as Trump says his envoy will meet Putin in Moscow

Laura Gozziand

Ottilie Mitchell

Reuters President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pictured at the White House in Washington D.C., during Zelensky's October 2025 visit. Trump has a neutral expression, and is wearing a dark suit with a pink tie. Zelensky is wearing a dark jacket with a colour, and is smiling. They are standing in front of a blue and yellow Ukrainian flag. Reuters

President Zelensky’s team are hoping to arrange a meeting with President Trump in November (file picture)

Ukraine has said a “common understanding” has been reached with the US on a peace deal aimed at ending the war with Russia.

The proposal is based on a 28-point plan presented to Kyiv by the US last week, which American and Ukrainian officials worked on during weekend talks in Geneva.

In a post on social media, US President Donald Trump said the original plan “has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides”.

He added: “I have directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians.”

President Zelensky’s chief of staff said he expects Driscoll to visit Kyiv this week.

The Kremlin previously said that Russia had not yet been consulted on the new draft deal, warning it may not accept amendments to last week’s plan.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that while Moscow had been in favour of the initial US framework, the situation would be “fundamentally different” if it had undergone substantial changes.

As of Tuesday morning the Kremlin had not received a copy of the new plan, Lavrov said, accusing Europe of undermining US peace efforts.

American officials did not publicly address Russia’s concerns, although US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Russian representatives held meetings on Monday and Tuesday in Abu Dhabi.

Some of the issues which Russia and Ukraine are still deeply at odds over have reportedly remained unaddressed so far, including security guarantees for Kyiv and control of several regions in Ukraine’s east where fighting is taking place.

Zelensky said on Tuesday that he was ready to meet Trump to discuss “sensitive points”, with his administration aiming for a meeting before the end of the month.

“I am counting on further active cooperation with the American side and with President (Donald) Trump. Much depends on America, because Russia pays the greatest attention to American strength,” he said.

A day earlier, Zelensky said the 28-point plan had been slimmed down, with some provisions removed.

The White House has not commented on the prospect of bilateral talks, but Trump wrote on social media that he looked forward to meeting with presidents Zelensky and Putin “soon, but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages”.

Despite the White House’s relative optimism, European leaders seemed doubtful that, after almost four years of war, peace could be within reach. France’s Emmanuel Macron said he saw “no Russian will for a ceasefire”, while Downing Street warned there was “a long way to go – a tough road ahead.”

Watch: Explosions rock Kyiv after overnight Russian strikes

On Tuesday, Macron and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer chaired a meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing, a loose grouping of Ukraine’s allies in Europe and beyond who have pledged continued defence support in the event a ceasefire, including tentative talks on a potential peacekeeping force.

During the call – which was also joined by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio – the leaders agreed to set up a task force with the US to “accelerate” work on the security guarantees that could be offered to Ukraine.

The issue of security guarantees is only one of the areas on which Moscow and Kyiv are at odds. On Monday, Zelensky said the “main problem” blocking peace was Putin’s demand for legal recognition of the territory Russia had seized.

Moscow has consistently demanded full Ukrainian withdrawal from the whole of the eastern Donbas, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Russian forces also control the Crimean peninsula – which Russia annexed in 2014 – and large parts of two other regions, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

After weeks in which diplomacy appeared to have stalled, there has been a flurry of activity since the US-backed plan was leaked.

The original draft included Ukraine agreeing to cede areas it continues to control, pledging not to join Nato and significantly cutting the size of its armed forces – elements which seemed to reflect key Kremlin demands.

While Putin said the original draft could form the “basis” for a deal, Zelensky responded by saying Ukraine faced a choice between retaining the US as a partner and its “dignity”. European leaders pushed back on several elements.

On the eve of talks over the plan in Geneva on Sunday between American, European and Ukrainian officials, Rubio was forced to publicly insist it was “authored by the US” after a group of senators claimed he had told them it was effectively a Russian draft, not the White House’s position.

Since then, both the US and Ukraine have hailed progress on the draft, with Zelensky saying it represented “the right approach” after securing changes.

While Trump had originally pushed for Ukraine to accept the plan swiftly, the president told reporters on Tuesday that the original version “was just a map”, adding: “That was not a plan, it was a concept.”

Also on Tuesday, Bloomberg published a transcript of what it said was a call on 14 October between Trump’s diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff and Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy aide.

Asked about the transcript – in which Witkoff reportedly discussed how the Kremlin should approach Trump, and said Ukraine would have to give up land to secure a peace deal – Trump told reporters it represented a “very standard form of negotiations”. BBC News has not independently verified the reported leaked call.

Watch: Trump says Witkoff doing “standard negotiation” in talks with Russia

Meanwhile, the fighting continues. Both Russia and Ukraine said strikes had been carried out on Tuesday night in Zaporizhzhia.

Ukraine’s regional head there, Ivan Federov, said at least seven people had been injured, while Yevgeny Balitsky, the Kremlin-installed governor, reported that Kyiv had hit energy grids in areas it controls, leaving up to 40,000 people without electricity.

Tens of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilians have been killed or injured, and millions of people have fled their homes since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Map showing the front lines in Ukraine

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Busty Kim Kardashian wows in luxury Alexander McQueen gown as she takes late night dip at Rio beach

REALITY TV star Kim Kardashian takes wet-look fashion to a whole new level.

The 45-year-old went for a night-time dip in a haute-couture dress by the late Alexander McQueen.

Kim Kardashian went for a night-time dip in a haute-couture dress by the late Alexander McQueenCredit: Tomás Herold/@tomasherold
Kim was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to promote her Hulu drama All’s FairCredit: Tomás Herold/@tomasherold

But the gown, first modelled in 2003, appeared far from waterproof.

Seeing the photo on Instagram, sister Khloe said: “You are such a freak for being in that water at night. Are you well?”

Kim was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to promote her Hulu drama All’s Fair.

Last month, The Sun revealed the reality star had brought out a Skims ‘Panties’ advent calendar which included 25 “luxury” pairs.

READ MORE ON KIM KARDASHIAN

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The price had raised eyebrows, setting shoppers back an eye-watering £476 ($450).

The lingerie advent calendar featured a cheeky image on the front, with the panties hidden behind 25 doors in the luxe packaging.

While many websites gave shoppers a sneak peek of what they can expect concealed inside, the Skims offering left it a complete surprise.

What we did know is there would be 25 styles across signature fabrics, including Fits Everybody, Cotton Jersey, Stretch Lace, and Ultra Fine Mesh.

The description on the Skims website read: “A limited-edition luxury: unwrap something special every day. 

“This premium advent calendar is filled with surprise panties to treat yourself all month long-because every day deserves a little SKIMS.”

The gown was first modelled in 2003Credit: Getty
Fashion designer Alexander McQueenCredit: Getty

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Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,371 | Russia-Ukraine war News

Here are the key events from day 1,371 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Here’s where things stand on Wednesday, November 26.

Fighting

  • Russian attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv killed seven people and injured 21, the state emergency service said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday. Emergency services also pulled at least 18 people from the rubble, officials said.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and surrounding areas caused “extensive damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure”.
  • Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed that Russian forces launched a “massive strike” targeting military installations in Ukraine, including “defence industry facilities, energy facilities and drone storage sites”, according to Russia’s TASS state news agency.
  • A Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Krasnodar region injured at least nine people, TASS reported, citing the regional task force.
  • A Ukrainian attack left about 40,000 people without electricity in a Russian-occupied area of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, a Moscow-installed official in the region, said in a post on Telegram.
  • Ukrainian battlefield analysis site DeepState said that Russian forces have advanced near the city of Siversk and the villages of Novoselivka, Zatyshya, Novoekonomichne and Myroliubivka in the east of the country.
  • Russian forces shot down four long-range missiles and 419 drones launched by Ukrainian forces in a 24-hour period, TASS reported, citing Russia’s Defence Ministry.

Peace plan

  • United States President Donald Trump said that “tremendous progress” had been made in negotiations on a peace plan, with “only a few remaining points of disagreement” remaining.
  • In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump added that he had directed his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and his army secretary, Dan Driscoll, to meet at the same time with Ukrainian officials “in the hopes of finalising this Peace Plan”.
  • Trump later on Tuesday backed away from his earlier deadline of Thursday for Ukraine to agree to the US-backed peace plan, saying “the deadline for me is when it’s over”.
  • President Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, later said he had spoken to Driscoll on the phone and expected him in Kyiv this week, adding: “We are ready to continue working as quickly as possible to finalise the steps necessary to end the bloodshed.”
  • In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said he hopes to see “continued active cooperation with the American side and President Trump”, noting that “much depends on the United States because it’s America’s strength that Russia takes most seriously”.
  • The latest update on the peace talks came as representatives from the US, Ukraine and European countries met in Geneva to continue talks on ending the war.
  • The United Kingdom, France and Germany issued a joint statement after the meeting, saying that “meaningful progress” had been made and that they had agreed for their militaries to begin “planning on security guarantees”. However, they also reiterated that any resolution to the war should preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and its long-term security.
  • They also confirmed that long-term financing will be made available for Ukraine, including the use of frozen Russian assets to fund reconstruction.
  • Ukraine’s Deputy Presidential Chief Ihor Zhovkva met with the European Commission’s Gert Jan Koopman to discuss progress on European Union membership. The proposed peace plan reportedly leaves the door open for Ukraine to join the EU, but not NATO.

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Japan’s Plan To Put SAMs On Strategic Island 70 Miles From Taiwan Could Be Just The Beginning

For the second time in a week, Japanese fighters scrambled to intercept a suspected Chinese drone flying near the island of Yonaguni. The events come amid growing tensions between the Asian neighbors and highlight the increasing strategic importance of Japan’s southernmost island, which has seen an expanded presence of Japanese and U.S. forces.

Located just 70 miles east of Taiwan, Yonaguni is an increasingly important part of the allied effort to defend the so-called first island chain from Chinese aggression. It is roughly seven miles long and three miles across at its widest point, it has two small ports and an airfield. It’s where Japan wants to set up an air defense system. It’s also where the U.S. Marine Corps recently set up a forward arming and refueling point (FARP), its first that close to the breakaway Chinese nation.

Yonaguni Island, which features two ports and an airfield. (Google Earth)
The island sits right across from Taiwan, deep inside China’s anti-access bubble. (Google Earth)

Amid all this tumult, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with leaders of both nations today and Monday to discuss the future of Taiwan, among other issues. We’ll address that more later in this story.

“On November 24…we confirmed that an estimated Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle had passed between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan, and in response,” the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) stated on X. “We scrambled fighter jets from the Air Self-Defense Force’s Southwest Air Defense Force to intercept it.”

令和7年11月24日(月) 推定中国無人機が与那国島と台湾との間を通過してたことを確認し、これに対して航空自衛隊の南西航空方面隊の戦闘機を緊急発進させ対応しました。 https://t.co/bN4E6sAtpe pic.twitter.com/XHmY159Txl

— 防衛省・自衛隊 (@ModJapan_jp) November 25, 2025

Once detected, the suspected drone flew south for about 250 miles, then cut east for about another 100 miles before returning along the same route, according to a map published by the Japanese MoD, which provided no additional details about the incident.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense reported a Chinese drone and a helicopter traveled along a similar route on Monday, but it is unclear if the two incidents are related.

11 sorties of PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 3 out of 11 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded. pic.twitter.com/qaLP5xJIGp

— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, ROC(Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) November 25, 2025

Monday’s interception by Japan followed a similar incident a week earlier.

Chinese drone flights are fairly routine along this path around Taiwan and during major drills, the skies see a heavier presence of Chinese military aviation assets. However, tensions have increased between the two nations with a long history of sometimes violent enmity. In particular, Beijing is enraged by Tokyo’s announcement that it will place surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) on Yonaguni and Japan considers any attack on Taiwan an existential threat. China has made no secret about wanting to subsume Taiwan, by force if necessary, a concern we have frequently addressed.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Yonaguni on Sunday, Japan’s defense minister said his country is moving forward with plans to deploy an unspecified number of air defense systems on the island.

“The deployment can help lower the chance of an armed attack on our country,” Shinjiro Koizumi explained. “The view that it will heighten regional tensions is not accurate.” 

The information space has been all abuzz about #Japan‘s Minister of Defense Shinjiro #Koizumi visiting #Yonaguni this past weekend and affirming the intent to deploy Chū-SAMs (medium range surface-to-air missiles) to the island.

Let’s go over why it is & isn’t significant…1/ pic.twitter.com/88obsxopte

— Michael Bosack (@MikeBosack) November 25, 2025

In January, former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Tokyo wanted to base Type 03 Chu-SAM missiles on Yonaguni, Bloomberg News noted

The medium-range Chu-SAM was first introduced in 2003, according to the U.S. Army, and its missiles can hit aerial targets up to roughly 30 miles away.

“The SAM’s vehicle chassis is based on the Kato Works Ltd/Mitsubishi Heavy Industries NK series heavy crane truck,” the Army explained. “It uses a state-of-the-art active electronically scanned array radar.”

The Chu-SAM system includes a command center, radar unit, launcher, and transloader, with each unit equipped with six missiles that travel at Mach 2.5, the Army noted, adding that it “can track up to 100 targets simultaneously and target 12 at the same time, engaging fighter jets, helicopters, and cruise missiles.”

Given its stated range, the Chu-SAM system can engage aerial targets roughly halfway between Yonaguni and Taiwan’s east coast (likely even farther in reality), an area Chinese aviation assets are likely to fly should it plan to invade the island nation.

Once again, this could be just one system, Japan also has the U.S. Patriot system, as well.

Japan’s Chu-SAM air defense system. (U.S. Army)

Koizumi’s comments about the Chu-SAM raised hackles in Beijing.

“Japan’s deployment of offensive weapons in the southwest Islands close to China’s Taiwan region is a deliberate move that breeds regional tensions and stokes military confrontation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters on Monday. “Given Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous remarks on Taiwan, this move is extremely dangerous and should put Japan’s neighboring countries and the international community on high alert.”

Mao was referencing another Chinese point of contention.

The newly elected Japanese Prime Minister recently stated that a Chinese military blockade of Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening” situation, thereby enabling “collective defense” alongside U.S. military forces, Newsweek reported.

“It was the first time such an explicit remark had been made by a sitting prime minister of Japan, which like the United States has long been deliberately vague as to whether it would intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan,” NBC News posited.

As this turmoil unfolded, a Chinese company released a video simulating an attack on Japanese ships and other targets using its newly introduced YKJ-1000 hypersonic missile. Although it isn’t clear if the timing is related, it is another indicator of the increasingly bellicose messaging between the two neighbors.

🇯🇵🇨🇳 China responds to Japan’s deployment of medium-range missiles on Yonaguni Island!

The Chinese company “Linkun Tianxin” has released a promo video of the hypersonic missile “Yukongzi-1000” (YKJ-1000).

The missile has a firing range of 500-1300 km and a flight speed of 5-7… pic.twitter.com/BWxROCvQo8

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) November 25, 2025

Trump has taken a mixed approach toward Taiwan.

The American president has at times expressed a degree of thinly veiled skepticism about Taiwan’s value to the U.S., The Diplomat noted. He has also implied the U.S. is committed to Taiwan’s freedom. In his latest administration, Trump has signed off on a $700 million deal to sell Taipei National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) medium-range air defense systems, a plan first put forward under the Biden administration. In addition, Trump authorized a $330 million deal to sell Taiwan aircraft parts.

 

The National Advanced Surface-To-Air Missile System (NASAMS). (Kongsberg)

Meanwhile, as we mentioned earlier in this story, the Trump administration has also authorized the temporary deployment of Marines to Yonaguni to set up a FARP to extend the range of helicopter patrols from the island.

“No U.S. Marine CH-53E has ever before landed that far southwest in Japan, nor has a FARP ever been established there,” Maj. Patrick X. Kelly, executive officer of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 462, said in a statement. “This evolution not only validated that MAG’s [Marine Aircraft Group 36] organic heavy-lift assault support helicopters, in support of its adjacent units and our JGSDF [Japan Ground Self-Defense Force] partners, can generate tempo anywhere the commander should choose, but also served as a huge leap forward in our relations between the U.S. Marines and the JGSDF.”

“FARPs significantly extend MAG-36’s operational reach,” said Col. Lee W. Hemming, commanding officer of MAG-36. “Our ability to rapidly establish and disassemble these sites in austere environments enhances our capacity to respond to, and support, disaster relief and other critical operations throughout the region – particularly in conjunction with our Japanese Self-Defense Forces partners. This collaborative FARP capability underscores our commitment to regional security and humanitarian assistance.”

U.S. Marines with Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members establish a forward arming refueling point on Yonaguni, Japan, Oct. 27, 2025. The FARP training enhanced interoperability and strengthened the ability of U.S. Marines and the JGSDF to control and defend key maritime terrain. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ryan Sotodavila)
U.S. Marines with Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members establish a forward arming refueling point on Yonaguni, Japan, Oct. 27, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ryan Sotodavila) Lance Cpl. Ryan Sotodavila

Given its proximity to Taiwan, Yonaguni also makes sense as a forward staging area for standoff weapons to strike Chinese targets, including ships, and advanced radars to track their movement, if Japan decides to go that route. Marine Corps doctrine calls for troops to be staged in China’s weapons engagement zone ahead of any conflict, and more islands in the region will likely become increasingly armed, but none are as close to Taiwan as this one.

The U.S. Army’s Typhon ground-based missile system, which can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 multi-purpose missiles, was recently deployed to Japan, but some 1,200 miles to the northeast on Honshu Island. Last year, we wrote about reported plans for the U.S. Marine Corps units and their High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to be rushed to the southwestern Japanese islands near Taiwan in case of a Chinese invasion. The anonymously sourced Kyodo News report about that move didn’t specifically mention Yonaguni, but it makes sense that it could be a destination for such future efforts.

Marines from 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, fire a rocket from an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System during an exercise at Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 22, 2023. (Lance Cpl. Keegan Jones/Marine Corps)

Another Marine weapons system that might even make more sense for Yonaguni is Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) armed with Naval Strike Missiles (NSMs). In previous reporting, we noted that these highly mobile missile systems have been deployed to Luzon in the Philippines. The NSM is well suited for fighting in the littorals. With the baseline NSM’s range of around 110 nautical miles, placing these systems on Yonaguni would hold Chinese vessels operating near the northern part and the backside of Taiwan at risk. They can also strike fixed targets on land. NMESIS is highly mobile on land, making its launchers very hard to target at distance by adversary forces.

NMESIS firing NSMs during an exercise. (USMC)

While weapons like NMESIS on Yonaguni could pose a real threat to Chinese forces trying to take the island, getting them there in the case of a Chinese move on Taiwan will likely be a great challenge. The idea would be to have them there permanently or rush them there at the start of a crisis, before the shooting begins. This would work as a deterrent to keep the fighting from starting, as well as tactical capability once the fighting begins.

Still, Beijing has a very large arsenal of missiles, aircraft and ships on hand and in development that could rain fire on Yonaguni. Any U.S. logistic missions having to push materiel forward in a time of crisis to the island would be traveling deep within China’s anti-access bubble, as well, which may be entirely unsurvivable. So, once things light off, if weapons are fired from the island, or even preemptive action by China, could widen the conflict significantly, and any forces on the island could be cutoff and under fire.

As previously mentioned, amid the boiling tensions, Trump spoke with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Takaichi on Monday.

“Taiwan’s return to China is an important component of the post-war international order,” Xi told Trump, according to an official account of the conversation by China’s state media. For his part, Trump affirmed that the U.S. “understands the importance of the Taiwan issue to China,” Chinese media said.

“Takaichi said Trump briefed her on his overnight phone call with China’s Xi and the current state of U.S.-China relations,” according to The Associated Press. “She said that she and Trump also discussed strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance and ‘development and challenges that the Indo-Pacific region is faced with.’”

“We confirmed the close coordination between Japan and the United States,” the Japanese leader added, declining to give any other details of her talks with Trump, citing diplomatic protocol.

Regardless of diplomatic platitudes, when it comes to Yonaguni Island, moving surface-to-air missiles there is largely a defensive overture. It’s also the first step in providing protection for additional assets, should Japan choose to allow their deployment. But for now, it certainly has gotten Beijing’s attention.

Contact the author: [email protected]

Howard is a Senior Staff Writer for The War Zone, and a former Senior Managing Editor for Military Times. Prior to this, he covered military affairs for the Tampa Bay Times as a Senior Writer. Howard’s work has appeared in various publications including Yahoo News, RealClearDefense, and Air Force Times.


Tyler’s passion is the study of military technology, strategy, and foreign policy and he has fostered a dominant voice on those topics in the defense media space. He was the creator of the hugely popular defense site Foxtrot Alpha before developing The War Zone.




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50 Cent’s Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs documentary gets a Netflix release date

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s documentary about Sean Combs finally has a release date.

Netflix announced Tuesday that it would release “Sean Combs: The Reckoning,” a four-part docuseries about the disgraced mogul directed by Alexandria Stapleton, on Dec. 2. Jackson, who serves as an executive producer, first revealed he was working on a documentary about Combs and his alleged abuses nearly two years ago.

The synopsis describes the series as a “staggering examination of the media mogul, music legend, and convicted offender” and touts that it will feature “explosive, never-before-seen materials, including exclusive interviews with those formerly in [Combs’] orbit,” such as “his former associates, childhood friends, artists, and employees.”

“Born with an insatiable drive for stardom and a knack for spotting talent, Combs made a quick ascent through the ranks of the music industry with Bad Boy Entertainment and was crucial in bringing hip-hop to the pop masses and launching the careers of dozens of generation-defining artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, and Danity Kane,” reads the synopsis. “But along the way … something darker began to color his ambitions.”

In July, Combs was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution after a seven-week federal criminal trial in New York. He was cleared of the more serious charges related to racketeering and sex trafficking. The former rapper is serving a four-year sentence.

Jackson, who had long feuded with Combs, often took to social media to troll the Bad Boy Entertainment founder as the various allegations against him mounted and even through the criminal trial’s aftermath.

But the “In Da Club” rapper, whose work in TV also includes serving as executive producer on Starz’s crime thriller “Power,” told Netflix’s Tudum that he’s “been committed to real storytelling for years through G-Unit Film and Television.”

“I’m grateful to everyone who came forward and trusted us with their stories, and proud to have Alexandria Stapleton as the director on the project to bring this important story to the screen,” he said.

Two other documentaries about Combs were released earlier this year: Peacock’s “Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy” and Investigation Discovery’s “The Fall of Diddy.”

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Bessent expects Trump to pick next Fed chair before Christmas

1 of 3 | U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (pictured in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday) said President Donald Trump is likely to select the next chair of the Federal Reserve before Christmas. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 25 (UPI) — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday President Donald Trump is likely to select the next chair of the Federal Reserve before Christmas.

Bessent made the remarks in an interview on CNBC, where he offered an update on his work overseeing the search for a successor to Jerome Powell, the current chair whose term ends in May 2026. Trump has pressured Powell to lower interest rates, raising questions about the independence of the nation’s central bank.

In the interview, Bessent said he was seeking a simpler and more subtle role for the Fed, which plays a pivotal role in financial markets and the economy.

“I think we’ve got to kind of simplify things,” he said. “I think it’s time for the Fed just to move back into the background, like, it used to do, calm things down and work for the American people.”

Since returning to the White House, Trump has lobbed criticisms at Powell over his cautious approach to lowering interest rates after a period of high inflation. Trump, who first appointed Powell, has called him a “clown” and openly talked about wanting to fire him.

Inflation is currently at 3%, just shy of the Fed’s 2% target. But members of the Federal Open Market Committee, the bank’s primary monetary policy-setting body, were divided on whether to support rate cuts at its December meeting.

Further complicating the Fed’s work is news that the ​​Consumer Price Index report for October will not be available for its upcoming meeting. The monthly report presents a snapshot of consumer prices, but the recent government shutdown delayed its release.

Bessent said the list of candidates for Fed chair has been narrowed to five and work was progressing well. But he noted the final pick is up to Trump “whether it’s before the Christmas holidays or in the new year.”

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The Microchip Cold War: The US-China Power Competition Over NVIDIA

US and China have long competed to become world powers, particularly in the technology sector. Since 2022, the US has systematically restricted the supply of high-performance NVIDIA chips to China. In today’s world, competition for power is no longer achieved through traditional means, such as military power. The US uses chips (semiconductors) as an instrument of political pressure. This policy is not just about economic or trade value, but has become part of technological statecraft designed to counter China’s military potential and its use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Semiconductors as a Provision of Power

The US policy of restricting high-end semiconductors to China shows a paradigm shift, chips (semiconductors) are not only industrial commodities, but have shifted to become a tool for achieving power. Export controls on high-performance chips and components that enable their production have been implemented by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). These steps show that the US is restructuring the geopolitical arena of technology.

AI today relies heavily on chips that can process vast amounts of data. The US restricts the export of high-end chips, such as the NVIDIA H100 and A100. A country’s AI development capacity could be severely compromised without access to these chips. The H100 is more than just a technological component; it serves as a strategic enabler that determines a country’s ability to maintain military dominance.

NVIDIA and the Security Logic Behind Export Control

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) on 2023 announcement expanded export oversight, not only targeting on specific chip models but also on component values, most notably in frontier algorithm development. The NVIDIA A100 and H100 are highly advanced datacenter and AI chips. The guidelines are particularly high for training complex AI models on supercomputers, even for military applications or demanding research.

To prevent misuse, the US government has implemented licensing requirements for chips like the A100 and H100 chips, which have put chips like the A300 and H800, made by NVIDIA, under increased scrutiny, despite being categorized as “weak service” chips. Export restrictions stem from concerns that NVIDIA GPUs could be used by China in training AI models related to the US military, not only to slow China’s technological progress but also to safeguard its own national interests.

The US understands very well that high-performance chips are “brain machines” that can accelerate the development of military superiority, intelligence analysis, and even autonomous systems. So it is very clear that limiting the capacity of computing and high-performance hardware is the way to go. To delay a rival’s capabilities without resorting to direct military confrontation. This is a concrete manifestation of the shift in the “battlefield” taking place in the technological and regulatory arenas.

Vulnerable Supply Chains and Dependence on Taiwan

In chip control, the US must recognize that there are undeniable realities. NVIDIA’s chip production goes through a fabrication process that is almost entirely carried out in Taiwan, a country that lies in the geopolitical conflict between Washington and Beijing. The Congressional Research Service (2024) shows that approximately 90% of global advanced semiconductor chip production is based in Taiwan, manufactured by the leading Taiwanese foundry, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSMC). This creates a structural dependency that poses serious risks to US economic and technological security.

If semiconductor production were concentrated in a single region, it would create vulnerabilities that could destabilize the global technological system. Therefore, any tensions in the Taiwan Strait would disrupt US access to the computing infrastructure it maintains. Export restrictions are just one step in a much more complex strategy, requiring the US to diversify production locations and ensure that the chip supply chain is not concentrated in a single region.

Effectiveness and Adaptation Room for China

NVIDIA’s chip restrictions were intended to curb the pace of AI modernization in China, but China was still able to optimize the model’s efficiency. This demonstrates that limiting hardware performance doesn’t always equate to limiting innovation. On the other hand, unofficial market entities have emerged, allowing NVIDIA GPUs to remain accessible through third parties. This adaptation demonstrates that hardware control has limitations, especially when demand remains high and global distribution networks are not always transparent.

Looking at its overall effectiveness, US policy has been effective in slowing China’s computing capabilities, but it hasn’t stopped its strategic potential. Instead, it’s encouraging China to be self-sufficient in strengthening its technological foundation, even though the quality of local chips hasn’t yet matched NVIDA’s standards. In other words, restricting NVIDIA’s chip exports isn’t meant to end competition, but rather to transform it into a race toward technological independence. The policy’s effectiveness will only last as long as China finds a way to adapt, while China is working to fill that gap.

Policy Directions with Greater Strategic Opportunities

The effectiveness of the compute policy is based on a governance architecture that holds every allied country accountable to the same standards. Without a disciplined framework, export controls on China are merely an illusion that is easily penetrated by gaps in different economic and regulatory interests. By creating strategic alignment, which forces every democratic country to reduce the fragmentation of interests, it can open up greater policy opportunities to emerge. Many developing countries see this semiconductor race as a competition for dominance, not as an effort to maintain security.

In other words, a successful computing policy is not one that simply limits China’s space, but one that manages technological gaps without creating competing computing blocs. The geopolitical challenge is maintaining superiority without forcing the world into two technological divides that would be difficult to control. The US strategy to secure a leading position in future technologies requires flexibility in responding to global dynamics.

A Future Determined by Computational Capacity

The debate over NVIDIA chips demonstrates the growing integration of political and technological power. US policy aims not only to restrain the flow of strategic goods but also to build a new computing-based power architecture. However, this policy also presents challenges, including dependence on Taiwan, China’s flexibility, and economic pressure on US chip companies.

In a global world that continues to move toward an AI-driven economy, the future will be determined by who can manage geopolitical risks, understand supply chain dynamics, and design visionary policies. Ultimately, GPU regulation is no longer simply a matter of export control; it demonstrates how countries navigate a power struggle now measured in microchips.

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Kelly Osbourne shares Sharon’s concerned reaction to Jack on I’m A Celebrity

Kelly Osbourne took to social media to show her mum Sharon watching Jack compete in the I’m A Celebrity camp and Mrs O could barely watch as he took on Drown The Hatch

Sharon Osbourne looked concerned by son Jack’s actions on I’m A Celebrity. The reality TV star was a late signing for the hit ITV show but has been impressing viewers with his actions – and campmates with his cooking.

But it was his first solo Bushtucker Trial that left his mum looking nervous. As she sat beside his sister Kelly to take in the latest events, Sharon appeared to be concerned by his lack of breathing in the underwater activity.

With the camera facing towards them, Kelly said: “Watching I’m A Celebrity and they cut to commercials at the most poignant bit. I was holding my breath, and I realised half way through the first commercial I was still holding my breath.

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“I mean come on he’s in a chamber of water and he only has two minutes.” Sharon then chimes in: “With lobsters and toads..” “Come on, we need to know what’s happening,” Kelly went on.

She then praised her brother’s rapid completion on the first chamber as he held his breath for 26 seconds. Gasping, Kelly was clearly proud of her brother and stared at Sharon as she too looked shocked at his efforts.

More gasps followed from the pair in chamber three as the tense music played in the background. As Kelly shouted out “Yes Jackie,” with a huge grin, she was once again surprised at how long her brother could stay under water.

But the next chamber seemed to bring more fear to the pair. Kelly turned the camera onto her mum who had her head in her hands as he went for the final stars.

As the eels entered his chamber, Mrs O nervously hit her daughter as she could barely watch on. And as he came up for air his mum looked worried for her son.

But she punched the air as he completed the task with a clean sweep of 12 stars. And as Jack said he “absolutely smashed it” Kelly couldn’t help but say yeah you did”.

She also seemed to love Aitch’s new nickname for her brother after he called him J-Aquaman”. She later told her followers who weren’t in England of his feat. And she added she thought she was more nervous at the task than he was, saying she is so proud of him.

“He did f***ing amazing,” she gushed. She went on to say Aitch’s title for her brother will be also sticking when he gets home from the show.

I’m A Celebrity 2025 airs every night at 9PM on ITV1 and ITVX.

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Trump to send top envoy to Russia in push to finalise Ukraine plan | Russia-Ukraine war News

Ukraine says it supports the “essence” of a United States plan to end its war with Russia, as US President Donald Trump said “progress” is being made on securing a deal and that he would dispatch his special envoy to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin.

Tuesday saw a flurry of diplomatic activity after US and Ukrainian negotiators met two days earlier in Geneva to discuss Trump’s initial peace plan, which had been seen in Ukraine as a Russian wish list calling on Kyiv to cede territory to Moscow, limit its military and give up on joining NATO.

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The plan has since been modified, with the emerging proposal reportedly accomodating concerns of Ukraine and its European allies.

Speaking at a video conference of the so-called coalition of the willing – a group of 30 countries supporting Ukraine – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready to “move forward” with the as-yet-unpublished “framework”, though he still needed to address “sensitive points”.

Earlier, a Ukrainian official had told the Reuters news agency that Kyiv supported “the framework’s essence”. Building on that sense of momentum, Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, who led negotiations in Geneva, told US news website Axios that the security guarantees Ukraine was seeking looked “very solid”.

Speaking at the White House, Trump conceded that resolving the Ukraine war was “not easy”, but added, “We’re getting close to a deal.”

“I thought that would be an easier [deal], but I think we’re making progress,” he said.

Taking to his Truth Social platform later on, he said that he would send envoy Steve Witkoff to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to iron out “a few” remaining differences over the deal.

He said he hoped to meet “soon” with Putin and Zelenskyy, “but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages”.

Russia, which had hammered Ukraine’s capital Kyiv with a deadly barrage of missiles the previous night, seemed unconvinced of progress.

Russia has not yet seen the modified plan, which remains unpublished, but Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underlined that it should reflect the “spirit and letter” of an understanding reached between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at their Alaska summit earlier this year.

“If the spirit and letter of Anchorage is erased in terms of the key understandings we have established, then, of course, it will be a fundamentally different situation [for Russia],” Lavrov warned.

Reporting from Moscow, Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova said there was a lot of “uncertainty” at the Kremlin, though there had allegedly been “behind-the-scenes interactions” between Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev and US counterpart Steve Witkoff, “who reportedly worked on the initial stage” of Trump’s plan.

The Russian side, she said, was not happy about revisions to the peace plan.

“Unlike the initial American plan presented by Donald Trump, which consisted of 28 points, the so-called European version doesn’t include withdrawing the Ukrainian armed forces from Donbas, it allows Kyiv to join NATO, and it doesn’t limit the size of its armed forces,” Shapovalova said.

Still, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll had earlier emerged upbeat from meeting with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, with his spokesman saying: “The talks are going well and we remain optimistic.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that there were “a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that must be sorted out and will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States”.

Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett said it was “unclear when those talks will happen, who will be involved, and what they will look like”. But, she added, it was clear they would not be imminent, given the upcoming American Thanksgiving holiday on November 27.

Macron urges ‘pressure’ on Putin

As the US strained to bridge the gap between Ukraine and Russia, leaders in the coalition of the willing, who have pledged to underwrite and guarantee any ceasefire, moved fast on security guarantees and a reconstruction plan for Ukraine.

In the video meeting, co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with Zelenskyy and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in attendance, the leaders decided to set up a task force between the US and coalition countries to “solidify” security guarantees.

Trump has not committed to providing back-up for a post-ceasefire “reassurance force” for Ukraine. The plan for the force involves European allies training Ukrainian troops and providing sea and air support, but would be reliant on US military muscle to work.

Speaking after the video call, Macron said discussions in Geneva had shown that there should be no limitations to the Ukrainian army, contrary to what had been outlined in the initial draft of the US plan.

He also said a decision on using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction, at the heart of a political and legal impasse in a Europe seeking funding for Ukraine, would be “finalised in the coming days” with the European Commission.

Western countries froze approximately $300bn in Russian assets in 2022, mostly in Belgium, but there has been no consensus on how to proceed. Some support seizing the assets, while others, like Belgium, remain cautious owing to legal concerns.

According to reports, Trump’s plan would split the assets between reconstruction and US-Russia investments.

Macron hit out at Russia, saying “continued pressure” should be put on Moscow to negotiate. “On the ground, the reality is quite the opposite of a willingness for peace,” he said, alluding to Russia’s overnight attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, which left seven dead and disrupted power and heating systems.

In his daily evening address, Zelenskyy said: “What is especially cynical is that Russia carried out such strikes while talks are under way on how to end the war”.

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Chelsea thump Barcelona in Champions League as Man City also lose | Football News

FIFA Club World Cup champions Chelsea of the English Premier League beat Spain’s Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League.

Defensive lapses cost Barcelona and Manchester City dearly as both teams slumped to notable losses in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Chelsea comfortably beat 10-man Barcelona 3-0 to earn its third league-phase win and move closer to the top.

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It was the second loss for Barcelona, which went down a man after defender Ronald Araujo was shown a second yellow card just before half-time.

The hosts scored with an own-goal by Jules Kounde in the 27th, a nice strike by Estevao in the 55th and a close-range shot by Liam Delap in the 73rd.

Chelsea's Estevao scores their second goal
Chelsea’s Estevao scores their second goal against Barcelona [Hannah Mckay/Reuters]

Leverkusen continue Man City woes

In Pep Guardiola’s 100th Champions League game as City coach, his team struggled to cope with Bayer Leverkusen’s quick transitions in a 2-0 defeat, while Barcelona had an own goal and a red card in its 3-0 loss at Chelsea.

Guardiola made 10 changes to his starting lineup following Saturday’s loss to Newcastle in the Premier League, with Erling Haaland among those on the bench, but it didn’t have the desired effect.

Alejandro Grimaldo fired home Leverkusen’s first goal with a low shot into the far corner in the 23rd, and Patrik Schick headed in a second in the 54th.

City could have moved atop the table with a win, but the night ended with the top three unchanged. Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Inter Milan all play on Wednesday.

Bayer Leverkusen's Patrik Schick celebrates scoring their second goal
Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick celebrates scoring their second goal [Lee Smith/Reuters]

Benfica and Napoli also record wins

Jose Mourinho picked up his first Champions League win with his new club Benfica as Samuel Dahl’s early goal set the stage for a 2-0 win over troubled Ajax. It was No 36 vs No 35 in the pre-game standings as the two winless teams met in the Netherlands.

Left back Dahl scored an unstoppable volley on the rebound after Ajax goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros had saved a header from Benfica’s experienced defender Nicolas Otamendi. Leandro Barreiro added a second goal in the 90th.

Ajax has lost all five of its Champions League games and won only one of its last 10 games in all competitions.

Canadian forward Promise David scored the only goal as Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise won 1-0 at injury-depleted Galatasaray. The Turkish club was without injured Champions League top scorer Victor Osimhen, and finished with 10 men after 18-year-old defender Arda Unyay picked up two yellow cards.

Scott McTominay scored the opening goal as Napoli won 2-0 against Azerbaijan’s Qarabag. Napoli fans commemorated the fifth anniversary of club legend Diego Maradona’s death.

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Actor in Oceans Eleven, Rhoda, and Commando dies following heart attack

BELOVED actor and singer Michael DeLano has died aged 84 after suffering a heart attack.

The popular star who featured in Oceans Eleven tragically passed away in a Las Vegas hospital, his wife said.

Michael DeLano Promotional Photo For 'Firehouse'
Michael DeLano has died aged 84Credit: Getty
Michael DeLano Promotional Photo For 'Firehouse'
He featured in ABC’s FirehouseCredit: Getty

DeLano was also known for his roles in Rhoda and Firehouse – starring as singer Johnny Venture in the former.

His wife of 28 years Jean told The Hollywood Reporter that he died on October 20.

Having lived in Vegas since 1992, the charismatic actor was also known for playing a casino manager in the iconic Ocean’s Eleven in 2001.

In ABC’s Firehouse, he played firefighter Sonny Caputo, before the show was axed after just 13 episodes in 1974.

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Playing Venture, he makes a desperate attempt at going out with Rhoda.

He appeared in 11 episodes during seasons three and four in 1976-78.

The star also played Lou Atkins regularly in Supertrain – which aired for nine episodes in 1979.

DeLano was born in Virginia on November 26 1940.

His dad was a pilot in the service, but tragically passed away before DeLano was born.

DeLano, whose real name is Michael Ace Del Fatti, was raised in Philadelphia, and even received fan-mail while he was a regular dancer on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.

He also served as a paratrooper in the US army.

The rising star then signed with Swan Records as Key Larson in 1960, before recording tunes such as “A Web of Lies” and “A Little Lovin’ Goes a Long, Long Way”.

He later adopted the stage surname DeLano after seeing a blinking neon sign on a hotel with the name, according to his wife.

DeLano burst onto the Hollywood scene after landing an on-stage role in Hair.

He went on to appear in films such as showed up in the films Catlow, and The New Centurions.

The actor then starred in episodes of Adam-12, Kojak, Banacek and Barnaby Jones – before landing on Firehouse.

DeLano is survived by his wife, his daughter Bree, grandsons Michael and Lincoln, and granddaughter Jaxon.

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Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones launches bid for Alabama governor

Nov. 25 (UPI) — Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones made his attempted political comeback official Monday, announcing he was running for governor of Alabama in next year’s election.

Jones is the last Democrat statewide elected official in the deeply red state after winning a special U.S. Senate election in 2017 only to lose his seat in 2020 to Republican newcomer Tommy Tuberville. The announcement by Jones sets up a likely rematch with Tuberville, a former Auburn University football coach, who is also running for governor.

“We’re going to be listening to people across the state,” Jones said in a video posted to X announcing what he called the “worst-kept secret” in the state. “We’re going to do everything we can to bring the people back to the state capitol of Montgomery, Ala.”

A former prosecutor, Jones narrowly won his Senate seat against Republican Roy Moore as he faced accusations of past sexual misconduct, which he denied. Three years later Tuberville beat Jones in a lopsided victory.

Jones said in the video that people in Alabama “deserve a governor who is going to fight for them” and not treat the office as “a rest stop on the way to the Florida beach,” a reference to allegations that Tuberville’s primary residence is in Florida.

The Alabama Democratic Party announced earlier it would challenge Tuberville’s candidacy on the basis he does not meet the state’s residency requirements to run for governor and his primary residence is in Florida.

“Assuming he’s the Democratic nominee and Tuberville’s the Republican nominee, it sets it up for a very interesting matchup with two candidates, both of whom have good name identification, which is a big part of being electable,” said Lori Owens, a political science professor at Jacksonville State University, told AL.com

Owens said the matchup would mean Tuberville would have to campaign harder against Jones because he’d “be running against somebody who has won and who has a career record himself.” Running Jones would also give the Democratic Party more credibility, Owens said.

However, roughly two-thirds of Alabama voters cast straight-party ballots in 2024, with most voting Republican, according to AL.com

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What are the risks of Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions escalating? | News

More attacks in both countries despite peace efforts.

Pakistan has been accused of launching air strikes that killed civilians in Afghanistan, a day after three Pakistani security personnel were killed in a bombing.

Recent peace efforts and a temporary ceasefire have failed.

What’s driving the violence – and what are the risks?

Presenter: Imran Khan

Guests:

Obaidullah Baheer – Adjunct lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan

Sahar Khan – Security analyst focusing on South Asia

Hameed Hakimi – Associate fellow in the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House

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‘Guaranteed Human’: Audio giant iHeartMedia says real people, not AI personalities, are at the controls

As media executives wrestle with the use of artificial intelligence, radio giant iHeartMedia wants to stand out.

“We don’t use AI-generated personalities. We don’t play AI music that features synthetic vocalists pretending to be human,” Tom Poleman, the company’s programming chief, wrote in an email to employees.

“The podcasts we publish are also Guaranteed Human,” he wrote.

Radio station DJs now are expected to say “Guaranteed Human,” as part of their hourly on-air disclosures, which include announcing the station’s call letters, as required by the Federal Communications Commission. The new branding campaign has its roots in iHeartMedia’s research that listeners turn on the radio for more than just music and information.

“Consumers aren’t just looking for content, they’re looking for connection,” the company’s president of insights, Lainie Fertick, wrote in an October blog post. “In a world of tech overload, consumers are searching for something real.”

The move comes as Hollywood creators, agents and executives come to grips with rapid advances in artificial intelligence, which has assisted workers with routine tasks but also caused a stir with the release of realistic AI actors, such as Tilly Norwood, which has more than 66,000 followers on Instagram. Entertainment behemoths, including Walt Disney Co. and Comcast’s NBCUniversal, also have sued AI companies for copyright infringement.

To be sure, iHeartMedia uses “AI-powered productivity and distribution tools that help scale our business operations,” Poleman wrote in his note. Such AI tools are used for “scheduling, audience insights, data analysis, workflow automation, show prep, editing and organization,” he said.

iHeartMedia is the nation’s largest radio operator with more than 850 stations, including KFI-AM 640, KLAC-AM 570, KOST-FM 103.5 and KIIS-FM 102.7 in Los Angeles.

The company also has a growing podcast business, producing such shows as “Stuff You Should Know,” “Questlove Supreme” and “Drama Queens.” It also co-produces podcasts with the NFL, NBA and Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland Audio, which includes “The Laverne Cox Show.”

Previously known as Clear Channel Communications, the company has experienced the dark side of automation and programming centralization.

In 2002, its radio stations in Minot, N.D., aired canned music as a toxic cloud blanketed the community after a train transporting anhydrous ammonia for fertilizer derailed and exploded. One person died, and dozens of others were injured. Congress then drilled into alleged harms of media consolidation and the failure of broadcasters to alert the community during the disaster in Minot, where Clear Channel owned six of the eight commercial radio stations.

Clear Channel later said local police failed that night to activate the emergency alert system, which would have allowed the broadcast of special bulletins.

The company has since championed its responses to other disasters. An iHeart spokesperson pointed to its award-winning coverage of Hurricane Helene in Asheville, N.C., in 2024 as well as its efforts during the devastating Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires in January, “delivering crucial lifesaving information and working with local organizations to collect and distribute essential disaster relief supplies,” the spokesperson said, noting that Clear Channel was run by a different management team.

“At iHeart, we make service to our communities our number one priority,” the spokesperson said.

iHeartMedia, like other entertainment and news outlets, is dealing with advertising declines, and it has been looking for ways to keep listeners engaged amid media fragmentation. The company this fall cut several staff members at historic KFI, including Morris “Mo” O’Kelly, who had hosted the station’s evening talk show for nearly three years.

Radio host Chuck Dizzle also announced on Instagram that he’d been laid off from iHeart’s Los Angeles hip-hop station KRRL-FM, which brands itself as “Real 92.3.”

The company said its research shows that consumers crave interactions with real people, and they have deep concerns about the growing use of AI and its potential societal changes.

Poleman pointed to a recent survey that showed two-thirds of respondents were worried about losing their job to AI.

iHeartMedia employees should embrace “Guaranteed Human” as more than a marketing tagline, Poleman wrote.

“When listeners interact with us, they know they’re connecting with real voices, real stories, and real emotion,” Poleman wrote. “Sometimes you have to pick a side — we’re on the side of humans.”



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International funding cuts disrupted global response to HIV, UN report says | HIV/AIDS News

UNAIDS says millions across the world lost access to treatment and preventive care due to financial shortfalls.

The United Nations agency for combating AIDS has announced that global funding disruptions for treatment and prevention programmes are leaving millions of people without access to care.

In a report released on Tuesday, UNAIDS said the global response to the disease “immediately entered crisis mode” after the United States halted funding when President Donald Trump took office in January.

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The Trump administration had suspended all new foreign aid funds on January 25, except for military assistance to Israel and Egypt.

Some of the HIV funding was restored in the second half of the year, but in the wake of Trump’s decision to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), certain programmes have not resumed.

UNAIDS said the cuts were compounded by “intensifying economic and financial pressures on many low and middle-income countries”.

The funding shortfalls, it added, are having “having profound, lasting effects” on the lives of people across the world.

“People living with HIV have died due to service disruptions, millions of people at high risk of acquiring HIV have lost access to the most effective prevention tools available, over 2 million adolescent girls and young women have been deprived of essential health services, and community-led organizations have been devastated, with many being forced to close their doors,” the report read.

Due to the funding cuts, the number of people using preventive HIV medication, known as PrEP, fell by 64 percent in Burundi, 38 percent in Uganda and 21 percent in Vietnam. Condom distribution in Nigeria dropped by 55 percent.

“The funding crisis has exposed the fragility of the progress we fought so hard to achieve,” said Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of UNAIDS.

“Behind every data point in this report are people … babies missed for HIV screening, young women cut off from prevention support, and communities suddenly left without services and care. We cannot abandon them.”

Despite the financial crisis, UNAIDS said there were some positive trends emerging, including national and regional initiatives to bolster health programmes and treat the disease.

“Communities are rallying to support each other and the AIDS response. Although the most impacted countries are also some of the most indebted, limiting their ability to invest in HIV, governments have taken swift action to increase domestic funding where they can,” the report read.

“As a result, some countries have maintained or even increased the number of people receiving HIV treatment.”

The report recommends restructuring the international debt of lower-income countries and pausing their payments until 2030 to allow them to direct more resources to HIV care and prevention.

It also called for “inspiring innovation with prizes instead of patents, and treating health innovations as global public goods in times of pandemics”.

On top of dwindling funds, the report highlighted another challenge in the fight against AIDS: “a growing human rights crisis”.

“In 2025, for the first time since UNAIDS began monitoring punitive laws in 2008, the number of countries criminalizing same-sex sexual activity and gender expression increased,” it said.

“Globally, anti-gender and anti-rights movements are growing in influence and geographic reach, jeopardizing gains made to date on the rights of women and girls, people living with HIV and LGBTIQ+ people.”

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Colombian court sentences Alvaro Uribe’s brother to 28 years in prison | Courts News

Bogota, Colombia – Santiago Uribe, the brother of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, has been sentenced to 28 years and three months in prison for aggravated homicide and conspiracy to commit a crime while leading a paramilitary group.

In Tuesday’s verdict, a three-judge panel in the northwestern province of Antioquia ruled that, in the early 1990s, Uribe “formed and led an illegal armed group”.

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Under Uribe’s leadership, the group allegedly “carried out a plan to systematically murder and exterminate people considered undesirable”.

Uribe has denied having any associations with paramilitary groups. His defence team plans to appeal.

The ruling reverses a lower court’s acquittal last year. The case will now pass to Colombia’s Supreme Court for a final verdict.

The conviction is the latest twist in a longstanding criminal investigation into the Uribe family and its alleged paramilitary ties.

Alvaro Uribe
Former President Alvaro Uribe has likewise been investigated for ties to paramilitary groups [File: Miguel Lopez/AP Photo]

Critics have accused Uribe and his brother, the former president, of maintaining ties to groups involved in grave human rights abuses during Colombia’s six-decade-long internal conflict.

Tuesday’s conviction relates to activities that took place on and around the Uribe family’s La Carolina cattle ranch, located in Antioquia.

In its 307-page ruling, the court detailed how the ranch was used as a base for The 12 Apostles, a far-right paramilitary group formed by ranchers in the early 1990s to combat leftist rebels, notably the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The court described The 12 Apostles as a “death squad”, saying it performed “social cleansing” by killing “undesirables” including sex workers, drug users, people with mental illnesses and suspected leftist sympathisers.

Not only did the paramilitary group hold meetings at La Carolina, but training and weapons distribution were also carried out on site, according to the ruling.

Those were “acts with which crimes against humanity were committed”, the judges wrote.

Describing Uribe as the leader of The 12 Apostles, the court found him responsible for ordering the murder of Camilo Barrientos, a bus driver who was shot near La Carolina in 1994 for being a suspected rebel collaborator.

Tuesday’s ruling also highlighted collusion between paramilitaries and state security forces, saying the militia “enjoyed the cooperation, through action and inaction, of agents of the State”.

Uribe was first investigated for his involvement with The 12 Apostles in the late 1990s, but the investigation was dropped in 1999 due to a lack of evidence.

Colombian authorities resumed their investigation in 2010, detaining Uribe in 2016 on charges of homicide.

Alvaro Uribe speaks to reporting scrum
Former President Alvaro Uribe addresses his brother Santiago’s arrest during a news conference on March 6, 2016 [File: Luis Benavides/AP Photo]

While the trial ended in 2020, the lower court announced its verdict years later, in November 2024. The judge overseeing the case at the time, Jaime Herrera Nino, ruled there was insufficient evidence and acquitted Uribe.

Tuesday’s decision overturns that verdict. Human rights advocates applauded the ruling as a step towards accountability, even at the highest levels of power.

“The sentence is extremely important,” said Laura Bonilla, a deputy director at Colombia’s Peace and Reconciliation Foundation (Pares). “It shows the level of penetration that paramilitarism had in Colombian society.”

Gerson Arias, a conflict and security investigator at the Ideas for Peace Foundation, a Colombian think tank, said the complexity of the case reflects the power structures involved.

“Paramilitarism was deeply rooted in the upper echelons of society, and therefore clarifying what happened takes years,” he said.

“It is therefore likely that many of the collective things we know about paramilitarism are still pending resolution and discovery.”

The defendant’s brother, former President Alvaro Uribe, led Colombia from 2002 to 2010.

The ex-president himself was found guilty earlier this year of bribing former paramilitary members not to testify to his involvement with them.

The ruling was overturned in October, after a court ruled the evidence was gathered through an unlawful wiretap. It also cited “structural deficiencies” in the prosecution’s arguments.

The former president remains a powerful figure in right-wing politics in Colombia, and he has pledged to form a coalition to oppose a left-wing government in the 2026 elections.

“I feel deep pain over the sentence against my brother. May God help him,” the ex-president wrote on the social media platform X following Tuesday’s ruling.

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I’m A Celebrity’s Angry Ginge admits ‘it gets on top of you’ as tensions rise

I’m A celebrity star Angry Ginge opened up about his feelings to Ruby Wax OBE just hours after the content creator became emotional due to not seeing his family

I’m A Celeb’s Angry Ginge became emotional as tension started to brew. Tensions have been bubbling in camp in recent days, with the group becoming noticeably divided after Angry Ginge sparked a feud among his fellow contestants.

The star caused uproar when he told campmates he had won only five stars in his Bushtucker Trial – only for the truth to come out when a full ten-star dinner turned up.

The revelation left several celebrities questioning whether they could “trust Ginge” going forward. Ginge has also caused a stir after he was appointed camp leader alongside Aitch. The mood in camp shifted when the pair were made leader and deputy, leaving some stars, including Ruby feeling uneasy about the new hierarchy. The actress openly admitted she felt the camp had split into two. However, the 24-year-old appeared to bond Wax, 72 during latest scenes from the programme.

READ MORE: I’m A Celebrity LIVE updates: Ruby Wax risks wrath of campmates with selfish actREAD MORE: Ruby Wax risks camp row as her I’m A Celebrity co-stars rumble ‘selfish’ lie

Ginge – whose real name is Morgan Burtwistle – was recently seen visibly emotional on the ITV reality show, after the stars received pictures of their loved ones.

During one conversation from Tuesday night’s episode (November 25), he opened up about his family life. While showing Ruby his new digs in the leader and deputy treehouse, Ginge also revealed his family photo, pointing out each of his family members to her as she jokingly tells him: “You look a little dorky!”

Checking in on Ginge after his emotional day before, Ruby asked whether he was feeling in a better mood. He then responds: “Much better, yesterday I was just terrible…”

He opens up saying: “Do you know what it was? I’ve gone ten days without seeing my mum for example but I’ve always been able to ring her and text her, so not being able to communicate at all, it all gets on top of you.”

Ginge asked Ruby who she missed more, her husband or her cats, asking her to be honest. She replied: “My cats”, which had Ginge in stitches, before explaining she had been with her husband for 35 years.

As Ruby said she didn’t think Ginge was the romantic type, he explained for his ex before he asked her to be his girlfriend, he had “rose petals, from the front door all the way up the stairs and then it opened to my room, there’s a teddy bear, there’s a rose and then I officially asked her to be my girlfriend.”

In a heartbreaking admission, he went on to reveal that his ex-girlfriend had broken up with him via text message. “I got the message,” he said, adding: “I don’t think it’s working, stuff like that, I agreed,” before saying he had 10,000 people watching him on his livestream.

“I had to carry on for six more hours but in the long run, it’s funny isn’t it,” he said, as he and Ruby went on to laugh about the situation. “When I want to be, I can be romantic,” he said. In the Bush Telegraph, he said to the camera that for ladies who fancied him, he can be romantic.

“She’s an extraordinary woman, she has the same banter as me,” Ginge said of Ruby. Fans were obssesed over the duo. Taking to X, one person said: “Really enjoyed that conversation between Ginge and Ruby. They get on really well. Nice to learn more about Ginge #ImaCeleb.”

Another wrote: “Ginge and Ruby remind me of Maura and The reverend such an unlikely partnership but bloody brilliant #ImACeleb.” A third viewer wrote: “Ruby and Ginge’s chemistry is insane! #ImACeleb.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.



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Amazon begins rollout of Leo high-speed Internet service

Amazon shows off its new logo at a logistic and distribution center in Werne, Germany, in 2017. On Tuesday, the company announced the rollout of its satellite-based Amazon Leo Internet service for select enterprise customers, with a wider rollout planned in 2026. File Photo by Friedemann Vogel/EPA-EFE

Nov. 25 (UPI) — Online retailer Amazon has begun to roll out its Leo Internet service that offers gigabyte speed via its satellite network for businesses and other organizations.

Amazon’s enterprise customers will be the first to use the Amazon Leo Internet service that includes a new “Ultra” antenna, and a wider rollout is planned for 2026, Amazon announced on Tuesday.

Amazon officials said Leo is designed to extend reliable, high-speed Internet to those beyond the reach of existing networks, including millions of businesses, government entities and organizations that are located in areas where Internet service is unreliable.

“Amazon Leo represents a massive opportunity for businesses operating in challenging environments,” said Chris Webber, vice president of consumer and enterprise business for Amazon Leo.

“We’ve designed Amazon Leo to meet the needs of some of the most complex business and government customers out there,” Webber added.

“We’re excited to provide them with the tools they need to transform their operations, no matter where they are in the world.”

The Amazon Leo Internet service uses an innovative network design, satellites and “high-performance phased-array antennas” to support download speeds of up to 1 gigabyte per second and upload speeds of up to 400 megabytes per second.

A new antenna dubbed Leo Ultra enables users to attain such downloading and uploading speeds, which exceed those of the competing Starlink Performance Kit, according to The Verge.

SpaceX officials said a new V3 satellite will support faster uploading and downloading speeds next year.

Amazon also has more than 150 satellites orbiting the Earth to provide digital communications that are undergoing initial network testing that involves a small group of enterprise customers.

Commercial airline JetBlue is among Amazon Leo’s enterprise customers participating in the service’s initial rollout.

“We knew Amazon Leo would share our passion for customer-first innovation,” JetBlue President Marty St. George said.

“Choosing Amazon Leo reflects our commitment to staying ahead of what customers want most when traveling, such as fast, reliable performance and flexibility in our free in-flight Wi-Fi.”

Amazon Leo also enables enterprise customers to connect directly to their cloud-based accounts and establish private network interconnects so that they can connect and communicate with remote locations using their respective data centers and core networks.

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Nigel Farage’s racism denials are dishonest, says ex-classmate

Joe Pike,Politics investigations correspondent,

Phil Kemp,Political reporterand

Brian Wheeler,Political reporter

Watch: Jewish classmate claims Nigel Farage told him “Hitler was right”

A Jewish former classmate of Nigel Farage has told the BBC the Reform UK leader is being “fundamentally dishonest” by suggesting former pupils who say they witnessed his racism are not telling the truth.

Peter Ettedgui said Farage, now aged 61, had repeatedly told him “Hitler was right” and “gas them” when they were teenagers at Dulwich College, in London.

On Monday, Farage said he had “never directly racially abused anybody” after claims by former Dulwich College pupils, including Mr Ettedgui, that were first reported in The Guardian.

Mr Ettedgui said Farage’s claim that those making allegations about his past behaviour were not telling the truth had left him “really angry”.

The BBC has spoken to two former Dulwich College pupils who have backed up Mr Ettedgui’s version of events.

In response to Mr Ettedgui’s claims to the BBC, Farage told GB News: “I categorically deny saying those things, to that one individual, and frankly, frankly for the Guardian and the BBC to be going back just shy of half a century to come out with this stuff it shows how desperate they are.”

In a previous interview with the BBC’s Welsh political editor on Monday, Farage said he had probably “misspoken in my life, in my younger days, when I was a child”.

But he insisted he had not “directly racially abused” anyone “by taking it out on an individual on the basis of who they are or what they are”.

Asked if those making the allegations about him were telling the truth, he said: “Well, suddenly after 49 years they seem to have perfect recollection. I would say to you there is a strong political element to this.”

Pushed again on whether they were telling the truth, Farage said: “No, they are not telling the truth.”

After watching Farage’s denials in Monday’s BBC interview, Mr Ettedgui told the BBC: “This is a man who has power, influence, has had a massive impact on the direction of this country, for which, you know, hats off to him.

“And he is being fundamentally dishonest in everything that he says there. So I feel upset and angry about that.”

Mr Ettedgui is one of more than a dozen former Dulwich College pupils from the late 1970s and early 1980s who have claimed they witnessed Farage being racist.

As someone who sat near the future Reform leader in Class 3R at Dulwich College, Mr Ettedgui says he can clearly remember antisemitic abuse being directed at him, something he says he had never experienced before.

“One of the most vivid memories of my school life is Farage repeatedly coming up to me and, knowing that I was Jewish, saying Hitler was right and ‘gas ’em’, and that was frequently followed by a ‘sssss’, you know, kind of imitating the sound of escaping gas.

“That’s my abiding memory of him, and that sort of verbal abuse happened quite consistently over the year that we were together in the same class.

“And it was pretty vicious, it was pretty nasty, it was absolutely directed in a very personal way at me.”

He said Farage’s words had “hit hard” because his grandparents had escaped Nazi Germany and much of their family had perished in the Holocaust.

“It wasn’t the normal sort of vaguely antisemitic banter that you might encounter in the school grounds at that time in the 1970s. It was much worse,” he added.

Asked how he could be sure that his memory was correct, given that the events he describes happened many decades ago, Mr Ettedgui said: “I think anyone who suffers any kind of abuse, it’s going to mark their lives.

“And I carry that memory with me very, very strongly.”

He also hit back at Farage’s claim that he was a “child” at the time of the alleged incidents.

“We were teenagers, which in many religions is the age where you turn your gaze towards the adult world,” he said.

He added that the teenage Farage was “very well-informed” and “had a sense of history and politics already at that time”.

He rejected claims that his allegations were part of a politically motivated smear campaign, saying that he had “a deeply personal motivation” to speak out now because the idea of Farage becoming prime minister was “repellent and horrifying” to him.

“Is Farage saying here that around 20 people who go on the record, who either experienced or witnessed this kind of abuse, are we all lying?” he asked.

“Is this some sort of conspiracy between us all? Well, I can tell him right now, we haven’t spoken to each other. We haven’t coordinated this in any way.”

Watch: Nigel Farage denies racism allegations against him

Asked by GB News, a channel that employs Farage as a presenter, whether Mr Ettedgui was “fundamentally dishonest”, he replied: “Had what he said been true do you think I would have been promoted in the sixth year to be a prefect?

“Do you think I’d have become a senior member of the school if they really thought, if the school knew and thought any of that stuff was true?”

Farage added: “His recollections are wrong. Beyond him, all the others say is they disagree with me politically which is perhaps not a huge surprise.”

Claims about Farage’s alleged teenage racism were first raised 13 years ago by journalist Michael Crick, when he was a reporter for Channel 4 News.

When The Guardian published fresh allegations last week, Reform UK said they were “entirely without foundation”.

In a statement issued after Mr Ettedgui and other former pupils spoke to the BBC, Farage said: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published in the Guardian aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.

“Isn’t it interesting: I am probably the most scrutinised figure in British politics, having been in public life for 32 years.

“Several books and thousands of stories have been written about me, but it is only now that my party is leading in the polls that these allegations come out. I will leave the public to draw their own conclusions about why that might be…

“We know that the Guardian wants to smear anybody who talks about the immigration issue.

“But the truth is that I have done more in my career to defeat extremism and far-right politics than anybody else in the UK, from my time fighting the BNP right up to today.”

He said many of the people making allegations “just happen to be political opponents” and it was “not the first time the desperate establishment has come after me, and it will not be the last”.

Some former Dulwich College pupils say they do not recognise the picture that has been painted of Farage or the allegations of racism against him.

Patrick Neylan, who was in the year below Farage at Dulwich College, told the BBC there was some singing of songs that he would not be proud of now.

But he added: “I never saw Farage being openly racist, antisemitic towards any individual…I’d be disappointed because I never thought of him as an overt racist.”

The BBC has spoken to two former pupils who say they remember Farage personally targeting Peter Ettedgui.

Jean-Pierre Lihou said: “I remember him specifically talking about ‘do go home, Hitler was right’, singing ‘Gas Them All’ and all of these absolutely antisemitic comments directed straight at Peter.”

He said he was convinced his memories were accurate and it “seems like yesterday to me”.

Another former pupil, Martin Rosell, who is now chair of the Liberal Democrats in Salisbury, also corroborated the antisemitism claims, claiming Farage used to “mutter something like ‘Jew’ under his breath” when Mr Ettedgui answered a question in class.

Asked if there was a political motivation behind his decision to speak out now, Mr Rosell said: “I don’t think so. I’m not doing this as a member of my local party.

“I am doing this as a human being who remembers something from 49 years ago, and my recollections are clearly the same as many other people.”

Reacting to the latest developments, Liberal Democrat president-elect and MP for Eastbourne, Josh Babarinde, said “people across the country will be watching with horror”.

“To make matters worse, the Reform leader shamefully brands them all liars rather than takes responsibility for his actions.

“The British public deserve decent politicians with integrity, not weasels who try to rewrite history when it doesn’t suit them.”

The government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, Labour peer Lord John Mann, said: “Nigel Farage’s appalling attempt to shrug off serious allegations of antisemitism and other appalling forms of racism as playground banter is as insulting as it is unbelievable.

“Farage needs to do the decent thing and come clean with the British public about the full extent of his past behaviour and apologise to those who have bravely come forward to share their deeply upsetting and disturbing experiences.

“The British people expect all their party leaders to act with integrity and humility and are unforgiving of those who choose not to. Nigel Farage must confront the seriousness of this situation and apologise in person.”

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