News Desk

Ex-Juventus and France star midfielder made his return to football, suiting up for Monaco in first game in more than two years after drug ban.

Paul Pogba described his emotional Monaco debut as a moment of relief and gratitude on Saturday, after the French midfielder returned to the pitch for the first time in more than two years following a doping ban.

The former Juventus and Manchester United player, who joined the Ligue 1 side on a free transfer in June, had not played a competitive match since September 2023.

Pogba received a four-year ban in February 2024 after testing positive for the banned substance DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The 32-year-old, who was nearing a return last month before suffering a right ankle injury, came on in the 85th minute of Monaco’s 4-1 defeat by Rennes at Roazhon Park and was met with a standing ovation.

“Seeing the crowd rise and applaud, I never imagined that would happen,” Pogba told reporters. “I’m relieved to be playing football again, the thing I love most in the world.

“But there’s still work to do to get back to full fitness and be able to play 90 minutes… If I don’t perform well at Monaco, I can forget about the French national team.

“I believe in myself and in my qualities, and since I knew I had done nothing wrong and it was not my fault, I never lost hope.”

Pogba, who has made 91 appearances for France, played a starring role in his nation’s 2018 FIFA World Cup victory. Knee and hamstring injuries, as well as knee surgery, prevented him from playing for France at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

BBC Breakfast took a brief pause on Sunday morning for a ‘significant’ update

BBC Breakfast was briefly halted for a ‘significant’ update about the forthcoming budget during Sunday morning’s programme (November 23).

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to present the much-anticipated Autumn Budget on Wednesday, which might include manifesto-breaking tax hikes.

The Chancellor has previously promised that the new budget will “deliver on the priorities of the British people” by reducing NHS waiting lists, the national debt and the cost of living.

Although she has reportedly decided against raising income tax rates, there are rumours that she could announce an extended freeze on income tax and National Insurance thresholds, meaning more people would pay it as wages increase over time.

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There might also be a new tax introduced on high-value homes, of which there are roughly 2.4 million in England. This could impact properties in council tax bands F, G and H, reports the Express.

Roger Johnson and Sarah Campbell were presenting BBC Breakfast today when the show took a brief pause.

“I’m not sure there’s ever a quiet week in politics these days but this week is particularly significant with the budget on Wednesday,” Sarah started.

She then handed over to Laura Kuenssberg who was ready in a separate studio to outline what was coming up on her Sunday morning politics show, momentarily interrupting BBC Breakfast’s schedule.

Speaking about the upcoming episode of Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Laura stated: “It really is, we are now just a few days away from Rachel Reeves’ huge moment in the House of Commons.

“A massive moment for the country, a massive moment for the economy and a massive moment for this government that has had such a turbulent few months.”

She continued: “This morning we’ll be giving you everything you need to know in the final days before the big moment itself.”

BBC Breakfast is broadcast daily from 6am on BBC One and iPlayer.

Lando Norris closes in on first Formula One Drivers’ championship after finishing second to Max Verstappen in Nevada.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, but McLaren’s Lando Norris has one hand on the Formula One title after finishing second and stretching his lead over teammate Oscar Piastri to 30 points.

Piastri finished fourth after Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who was ahead of the Australian at the chequered flag, had five seconds added for jumping the start.

George Russell, last year’s winner of the floodlit race and, like Norris, making his 150th start, completed the podium for Mercedes.

With two grands prix and a sprint remaining, worth a maximum 58 points, Norris has 408 points to Piastri’s 378 with four-time world champion Verstappen still mathematically in contention on 366.

Norris finished 20.741 seconds behind but can now secure his first title in Qatar next weekend, with McLaren having already clinched the constructors’ crown for the second year in a row.

Quite a decent gap

“The car was working pretty well, much more to my liking,” said Verstappen, ferried to the podium with Norris and Russell in a LEGO pink Cadillac convertible driven by actor Terry Crews as fireworks lit up the sky over the strip.

“It was at the end quite a decent gap.”

It was the 69th win of Verstappen’s career and his sixth of the season, as well as his 125th podium and eighth in a row in the 150th Grand Prix of Red Bull’s partnership with Honda.

Norris lost the lead to Verstappen at the start, dropping to third when he ran wide at the first corner and opened the door for the Dutch driver and Russell.

He retook second from Russell on the 34th of 50 laps but then had to manage fuel to the finish.

“I let Max have a win,” he joked. “I let him go, let him have a nice race. No, I just braked too late,” he added, with an expletive on the live television feed that could land the Briton in trouble with the governing FIA.

“It was not my best performance out there, but when the guy wins by 20 seconds, it’s because he has just done a better job and they’re a bit quicker.”

Antonelli finished fifth with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc sixth and Williams’ Carlos Sainz seventh. Isack Hadjar was eighth for Racing Bulls, and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton completed the top 10.

Piastri dropped from fifth to seventh on the opening lap after contact with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, who plunged to last with a badly damaged car.

Verstappen was 20 seconds clear of the field by lap 23 and pitted at the halfway point, rejoining in the lead after Russell and Norris had already switched to the hard tyre.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was taken out by Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, as the Brazilian rookie dived aggressively into the first corner and ran out of road, with both retiring immediately.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was also a spinner at the start, and the virtual safety car (VSC) was triggered on the second lap for marshals to retrieve debris between turns one and four.

The VSC was deployed again on lap 16 for more debris on track after Williams’ Alex Albon and Hamilton collided, with the latter racing from 19th and last on the grid to 13th on the opening lap.

Albon, whose team lost radio contact with the car from the start, was handed a five-second penalty for causing the collision and also reprimanded for a starting procedure infringement.

Stakeholders are gathering to start negotiations based on a text that the EU believes mostly favours Russian demands.

Senior Ukrainian, European Union, United Kingdom and United States officials will soon start talks in Geneva as ambiguity and deep-seated concerns hover over the fate of the 28-point plan put forward by Washington to end the war with Russia.

At the talks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be the top representative of the administration of President Donald Trump, who has given his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to take the deal.

Rubio emphasised in a Sunday post on X before flying to Switzerland that the proposal was authored by the US.

“It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations,” he wrote. “It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”

The comments came in rejection of a claim made by a bipartisan group of veteran US senators, most focused on foreign policy, who told a panel discussion at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada that the plan is a Russian “wish list” and not the actual proposal offering Washington’s positions.

“This administration was not responsible for this release in its current form,” said Republican Mike Rounds from South Dakota, adding that “it looked more like it was written in Russian to begin with”.

State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott called the claim “blatantly false”.

The senators earlier Saturday said the plan would only “reward aggression” by Moscow and send a message to other leaders who have threatened their neighbours.

Critics of the plan have said it heavily leans into the Kremlin’s oft-repeated demands and war narrative.

The plan would stress Ukrainian sovereignty and provide a security guarantee that it will not be attacked in the future, but also includes Ukraine ceding territory and making its army smaller.

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the proposal late Friday, saying it “could form the basis of a final peace settlement” if Washington can get Ukraine and its European allies on board.

Ukraine has been careful with its rhetoric, with Zelenskyy saying he will “work calmly” with the US and his Western allies to get through what he called “truly one of the most difficult moments in our history”.

Ukraine’s European allies are not happy with the plan, either, saying the military limitations would leave Ukraine “vulnerable to future attack”, so more talks are necessary.

France, the UK and Germany, also known as the E3, will have national security advisers at the Geneva talks.

The troubled US-led diplomatic efforts are inching forward as intense fighting continues to rage in eastern Ukraine.

Russian forces are pushing to take control of more territory in Zaporizhia and in Donetsk, part of the eastern Donbas region that is seeing fierce fighting and that Russia wants in its entirety, while also fending off Ukrainian air attacks on their oil and fuel infrastructure.

VICTORIA Beckham is embracing her Spice Girls past more than ever – leaving many convinced she’s sewing the seeds for an announcement that will send fans into meltdown. 

For years Victoria, 51, has been The Grinch of the Spice Girls, refusing to join Mel B, Emma Bunton, Melanie C and Geri Horner on tour in 2019 and making several comments about how she’s moved on from the group. 

But the fashion designer has dropped many hints in recent months that Posh Spice is coming out of retirement. 

The biggest clue yet came when she uploaded a clip of her make-up free and singing a live acoustic version of one of their biggest hits, despite being open about insecurities surrounding her voice. 

Next year marks three decades since Spice Girls took over the world with debut single Wannabe and – with Scary, Baby, Sporty and Ginger keen to mark the occasion in a big way – here’s all the clues Victoria will finally perform with them again. 

Stadium temptation

For music fans, this summer was dominated by the historic Oasis reunion tour which saw brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher perform together for the first time in 16 years. 

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Demand for tickets was so high that thousands of people were left gutted to miss out – but Victoria wasn’t one of them.

She attended one of the Wembley Stadium gigs with husband David, 50, and their children and the iconic show clearly had her feeling nostalgic.

Victoria shared a clip of David enjoying himself at the concert and tagged all of her former bandmates, adding: “Tempting…”

During their 2019 reunion tour, Spice Girls sold out 13 stadium dates – including three nights at Wembley – which grossed an estimated £55million.

So you can’t blame Posh for wanting a slice of it this time around…

Posh residency

Since launching her eponymous luxury fashion brand in 2008, Victoria has made it clear it’s her priority professionally.

Discussing her decision not to join Mel B, 50, Emma, 49, Melanie C, 51, and 53-year-old Geri on tour in 2019, she told Vogue Germany: “It took me a lot of courage not to go on tour with the Spice Girls again.

“But to be the one who says, ‘You know, I’m not doing it because things feel different now than they used to’.”

She added: “I’d rather concentrate on my family and my company. I’m 45 now and very happy to be the woman I am…”

But, while touring all over the world may be out of the question for Victoria and her business, she recently confessed the idea of a Vegas residency is one that appeals to her.

Speaking to Andy Cohen on Sirius XM, she said: “It would be tempting.

“But could I take on a world tour? No I can’t. I have a job…

“How good would the Spice Girls be at the Sphere! I love the idea of it. I mean I don’t know if I could even still sing, I mean I was never that great!”

The 20,000-capacity concert hall features wraparound screens and has hosted residencies from U2, The Eagles and Backstreet Boys, with No Doubt set to reunite there for 12 dates next May.

Spice Girls forever

Right from the start, Victoria was labelled as the ‘Posh one who doesn’t sing’.

And it was all because – due to a prior family commitment – she missed the final recording session for Wannabe, meaning she was the only member without a solo.

Writing in her 2001 autobiography Learning To Fly, Victoria recalled trying to write the track over the phone with the girls – calling missing the session one of her biggest regrets.

She wrote at the time: “It did make a difference, because by the time it came to recording, performing and singing it, all the parts had been divided up between the rest of them.

“And every time we performed it I just felt like a gooseberry standing at the back not doing anything. 

“And I used to say to my mum, ‘God, they’ll say I’m the one who doesn’t sing’. And she’d say, ‘Don’t worry, Victoria, no one will notice’.

“But they did notice. And to this day it’s what always gets thrown at me: Posh Spice, the one who doesn’t sing.”

Victoria has always been ahead of the joke about her vocals and recently quipped: “[My voice] wasn’t off-key, but it was small. Sometimes, they just turned my mic off.”

But she almost broke the internet when she sat down for a stripped back acoustic performance of Viva Forever with son Cruz, 20.

The incredible video sent fans wild, with one writing: “My fave song ever. Goosebumps listening it on your beautiful voice!”

And another said: “This gave me goosebumps… so iconic.”

But it was Melanie C’s comment that set tongues wagging, as she wrote: “Love this. Getting a head start on rehearsals.”

Mum guilt

Despite her reservations about singing with the girls again, Victoria has always been proud of their legacy.

Speaking in her recent Netflix documentary she admitted she “wouldn’t have been who I am now if it wasn’t for the Spice Girls, 100 per cent”.

Victoria added: “People love the Spice Girls. I love the Spice Girls. I’m so proud of that.”

And the mum-of-five joked David “mum-guilted” her into joining the group for their 2007 world tour.

In the series, he said: “Our kids weren’t around to see their mum be a Spice Girl!”

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And Victoria quipped: “He mum-guilted me!”

And, given Cruz’s recent duet with his former pop star mum, there’s no doubt David and the kids will be encouraging Victoria to dust off her little Gucci dress at least one more time.

Nov. 22 (UPI) — A Democrat and a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives have co-sponsored a resolution that calls for raising the number of votes needed to censure a colleague from a majority to 60% as a way to force “bipartisan support.”

The two-page resolution introduced by Democrat Don Beyer of Virginia and Republican Don Bacon of Nebraska on Friday comes amid efforts to censure three House members in an escalating numbers of members looking to take action against one another.

“The process of censures and disciplinary measures in the House is broken, and all of us know it,” Beyer said in a joint press release with Bacon announcing the legislation.

“These measures were historically reserved for rare and exceptional cases after a lengthy process that allowed time for investigations and due process, but that precedent has deteriorated,” he said. “Our resolution would break the cycle of censures to help return focus in the House to solving problems for the American people.”

The effort, the duo told colleagues in a letter on Thursday, would fix the problem and raise the level of sanity in the chamber, the New York Times reported.

“A U.S. House ruled by mob mentality cannot function. The institution and American people deserve better than what we’ve seen this week. The vast middle must stand up to the extremes and put commonsense safeguards in place,” Bacon said in the release.

The bill already had 29 sponsors by Friday afternoon, Roll Call reported.

“It has become a political tactic, rather than an action to protect the reputation of the House,” Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who in past years served as the majority and minority leader, told the Times. “If it becomes common, it will lose its prophylactic effect.”

Since 1832, the House has censured members 25 times and issued reprimands 11 times — and censured members just six times in the 21st century, according to NBC News.

Bacon and Beyer noted in the press release that most censures in history have come “after lengthy ethics investigations that established criminal activity or serious misconduct.”

Expulsion from Congress requires two-thirds approval, with 16 members of the House and five members of the Senate having been ejected from office, according to Congressional records. The vast majority — 17 — got the boot during the Civil War for backing the Confederacy.

The most recent expulsion was former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who was later convicted in federal court, although President Donald Trump commuted his sentence after he had served three months in prison.

“The proliferation of resolutions to punish our fellow Members with censure, disapproval or the revocation of committee assignments has become unsustainable, to the point that they now impair our ability to work together to address serious issues. I fear this is inflicting lasting damage on this institution,” Beyer said Friday.

Just this week, there has been a raft of censure efforts introduced in the House, some successful and some not.

On Tuesday, the House rebuked Rep. Jesus Garcia, a Democrat serving Illinois, for hand-selecting his successor after announcing his retirement after the filing deadline for the Democratic primary.

Also on Tuesday, the House voted against censuring Stacey Plaskett, the U.S. delegate representing the U.S. Virgin Islands, amid revelations that she received information via text from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a congressional hearing

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., filed a resolution to censure Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., who has been accused of financial misconduct and domestic abuse. In that case, the House voted to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., also threatened to censure, and then expel, fellow Floridian, Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick after she was indicted this week for allegedly stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds.

The baggage is unavoidable.

So Clarin, Argentina’s biggest newspaper, steered straight into it instead.

In the first two lines of their preview of Sunday’s match, “history, politics, the Falklands War and England’s persistent imperialist views” were all referenced., external

The story of a teenage Federico Mendez ironing out England second row Paul Ackford with a blindside haymaker 35 years ago was retold.

On Thursday, Franco Molina threw in another piece of the Anglo-Argentine back story.

“It was a goal, the referee gave it, it was a goal!,” the Argentina second row said, recalling Diego Maradona’s contentious ‘Hand of God’ goal in the 1986 quarter-final meeting at the football World Cup.

But it was all with a smile.

If all that history is being brewed up as pep-talk kerosene, Molina, who spent last season playing for Exeter, hid it well.

For him there was too much to get excited about in the 80 minutes to come, without dredging up the past.

“It is a big game, just because of the context of the international game,” he said.

“It is really special playing at Twickenham.

“It is going to be a really physical game and every English team is tidy in what they do, all the kicks from the field, all the play with the ball in hand.

“We will need to be really connected and precise across the whole 80 minutes to beat them.”

“Suffs,” Shaina Taub’s musical about how women finally secured the right to vote in America, won Tony Awards for its book and score. It lost the best musical race to “The Outsiders,” but the respect it earned when it opened last spring on Broadway made it an unequivocal winner.

The show is having its Los Angeles premiere at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in a touring production that is smooth and smart. Taub’s work deserves nothing less than an A. The cast is excellent, the staging is graceful and the political message could not be more timely.

The show might not have the crackling vitality of “Hamilton” or the bluesy poignancy of “The Scottsboro Boys.” It’s a good deal more earnest than either of these history-laden musicals. There’s an educational imperative at the heart of “Suffs,” which deals with a subject that has been marginalized in schools and in the collective consciousness.

The 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, was ratified in 1920, a little more than a century ago. The history isn’t so distant yet I’m sure I wasn’t the only one at Wednesday’s opening who was learning about the forceful tactics that helped Alice Paul and her fellow suffragists push their movement over the finish line.

“Suffs,” a musical for the public square, is as informative as it is uplifting. It is above all a moving testament to the power of sisterhood. The struggle for equality continues to face crushing setbacks today, but Taub wants us to remember what can happen when people stand united for a just cause.

Alice (a winning Maya Keleher) doesn’t seem like a rabble-rouser. A bright, well-educated woman with a polite demeanor, she looks like a future teacher of the year more than a radical organizer. But she has an activist’s most essential quality: She won’t take no for an answer. (Keleher lends alluring warmth to the role Taub made her Broadway debut in.)

Marya Grandy and the company of the national tour of “Suffs.”

(Joan Marcus)

She’s rebuffed by Carrie Chapman Catt (Marya Grandy), the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Assn., whose motto (“Let your all-American mother vote”) is the basis for the show’s opening number, “Let Mother Vote” — a distillation of the old-guard approach that has yet to yield women the vote.

Alice wants to organize a march in Washington, D.C., to force the president’s reluctant hand, but Carrie prefers a more genteel strategy. “Miss Paul, if my late great mentor Susan B. Anthony taught me anything, it’s that men are only willing to consider our cause if we present it in a lady-like fashion.

“State by state, slow and steady, until the country’s ready” is, after all, NAWSA’s fundamental creed. But Alice points out that if they continue at this glacial pace they’ll be dead before they can ever cast a vote.

Swinging into action, Alice teams up with her friend Lucy Burns (Gwynne Wood), who worries that they haven’t the experience to take on such a momentous mission. “We’ve never planned a national action before,” she objects at the start of their duet “Find a Way.” But undaunted Alice has the bold idea of recruiting Inez Milholland (played at the opening night performance by Amanda K. Lopez), and a way forward miraculously materializes.

Inez has just the right glamorous public image that Alice thinks will give their march the publicity boost it needs. Studying for the bar exam, Inez is initially reluctant but agrees if she can lead the march on horseback.

This image of Inez on a steed becomes central both to the movement and to director Leigh Silverman’s production, which finds simple yet striking ways of bringing revolutionary change to life. A chorus line of activists wearing suffragist white (kudos to the luminous tact of costume designer Paul Tazewell) eloquently communicates what solidarity can pull off.

Brandi Porter, left, and Jenny Ashman as President Woodrow Wilson in “Suffs.”

(Joan Marcus)

An all-female and nonbinary cast dramatizes this inspiring American story. Taub takes some fictional license with the characters but largely sticks to the record.

Notable allies in Alice’s organization include Ruza Wenclawska (Joyce Meimei Zheng) a Polish-born trade union organizer with a no-nonsense grassroots style, and Doris Stevens (Livvy Marcus), a shy yet undeterred student from Nebraska who becomes the group’s secret weapon secretary.

Ida B. Wells (Danyel Fulton), an early leader in the civil rights movement, takes part in the march but resists being used as a prop in what she calls NAWSA’s “white women convention.” Mary Church Terrell (Trisha Jeffrey), a fellow Black activist, by contrast believes that it’s only through participation that representation can move forward.

President Woodrow Wilson (Jenny Ashman), who makes promises to the suffragists he is hesitant to keep, is a crucial target of Alice’s pressure campaign. Her group’s access to him is aided by Dudley Malone (Brandi Porter), Wilson’s right-hand man, who becomes smitten with Doris.

The score marches ahead in a manner that makes progress seem, if not inevitable, relentless in its pursuit of justice. The songs combine the patriotic exuberance of John Philip Sousa and the American breadth of Broadway composer Stephen Flaherty (“Ragtime”). The note of pop accessibility in Taub’s music and the satiric humor of her lyrics add to the buoyancy. You won’t leave humming a tune, but the overall effect (while ephemeral) is pleasing in the theater.

With the history already determined, the book can’t help resembling at times a civics exhibition. Dramatic tension is hard to come by. Alice and her cohorts suffer grave disappointments and indignities (including a harrowing stint in prison), but the eventual outcome of their struggles is known.

“Suffs” sometimes feels like a history lesson neatly compartmentalized into Important Episodes. There’s a whiff of PBS to the way the musical unfolds. This is cultural programming that’s good for you.

But the teamwork of the performers honors the messy yet undeniably effective cooperation of Alice and her freedom fighters — women who changed the world by not staying silent in their prescribed place.

Officials from the US, Ukraine, and national security advisers from France, UK and Germany to hold talks in Geneva today to discuss plan to end the war.

The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) has identified Rwanda as an aggressor towards the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). During its 9th session, held in Kinshasa, the DRC’s capital, the Congolese Minister of Regional Integration announced that the conference officially recognised Rwanda as the aggressor against the DRC.

During a press briefing in Kinshasa on Nov. 17, the Congolese minister said the member states of the ICGLR have urged Rwanda to withdraw its troops from Congolese territory immediately, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2773.

“A considerable advance towards an international recognition of the tragic reality that our populations are victims. In effect, in their final declaration, the heads of state and government meeting in Kinshasa have called, (I quote) ‘demand the withdrawal without delay from Congolese territory of the aggressor nations against the Democratic Republic of Congo in conformity with Resolution 2773 of the United Nations Security Council, as well as condemned the pursuit of hostilities by the M23 and the Allies Democratic Forces (ADF)’,” the minister said.

“This declaration does not refer to an aggressor nation, but to aggressor nations. This nation is clearly identified because it has already been cited in Resolution 2773. In point 4 of the resolution, the Security Council demands that the Rwandan defence forces stop supporting M23 and withdraw from DR Congo territory without preconditions immediately.”

For the members of the Congolese government, the recognition of Rwanda as the aggressor nation by the ICGLR constitutes one of the principal advances of the 9^th summit held in Kinshasa.

“The added value of the final declaration of the 9^th ordinary summit of the ICGLR consists in the precision that this country, Rwanda, to be as clear as possible, is officially and very explicitly recognised as aggressor of the DR Congo,” the minister added.

The summit was held amid persistent tension between the DR Congo and Rwanda, despite announced diplomatic advances. The contrast between the engagements outlined in the accords and the reality on the ground is preoccupying several actors, who are calling for honesty, goodwill, and the rapid implementation of engagements stemming from the various diplomatic initiatives. Considered the sponsor of the M23/AFC rebellion due to its multifaceted support, the Rwanda of Paul Kagame is actually at odds with Kinshasa and was the major absentee at the ICGLR meeting. 

However,  Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, has declared the resolutions of the Kinshasa meeting null and void. The Rwanda government had denied supporting the M23 fighters, but locals and authorities in the DRC have insisted that the country has been actively backing the rebels.

Following the capture of Goma and Bukavu by the M23/AFC and the failure of the Luanda process, the Washington Accord and the Doha process have henceforth become two complementary aspects of diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict between the DR Congo and Rwanda, as well as against armed groups such as M23.

The Washington Accord, signed under American mediation, fixed a bilateral framework between Kinshasa and Kigali. On the other hand, the Doha peace talks focus on the internal dimensions of the conflict, specifically the restoration of state authority and the reintegration of armed groups.

Despite these two diplomatic initiatives, several states and international organisations, including the European Union, have been pleading for increased involvement of regional organisations, and in general, African nations, in solving the conflict between the DR Congo and Rwanda, which is behind the deterioration of the security situation in the Eastern DR Congo.

Here’s what you need to know about TV Licence refunds

Brits are being reminded that they could be eligible for a refund on their BBC TV Licence, provided they adhere to a one-month rule. If you no longer need a TV Licence from the BBC, you can request a refund, as long as there is at least one full month remaining on it.

The TV Licence fee has been a customary expense for many UK residents since its introduction in 1946. At that time, the BBC was the only broadcaster in the country, and the licence cost £2 – roughly equivalent to around £105 today.

Despite significant shifts in television consumption, including the emergence of numerous channels, streaming and on-demand platforms, this annual charge persists. Following a price hike last year, it now stands at £174.50.

Even if you don’t watch any BBC channels, many households still need a licence. For instance, it’s required to:

• Watch or record programmes as they’re being broadcast live on any TV channel
• Watch live programmes on any online TV service – such as Channel 4, YouTube, or Amazon Prime Video

It’s also necessary to download or watch any BBC programmes on BBC iPlayer. However, there are four lesser-known situations where you can use your TV without needing to pay for a licence.

According to the Government website, you do not need a TV Licence if you only watch:

• Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney Plus
• On-demand television through services like All 4 and Amazon Prime Video
• Online video content on sites like YouTube
• Video content or DVDs

If your television is exclusively used for these particular activities, you won’t need to pay for a licence. Furthermore, if you’ve already made payment but this situation applies to you, you may be entitled to reclaim some of your money.

The TV Licensing website states: “You can apply for a refund if you won’t need your licence again before it expires, and you have at least one complete month left on it.”

Applications for TV Licence refunds can be made up to a fortnight before the date you no longer need it. Certain people are also exempt from TV licence payments or qualify for discounted rates, meaning they can request a refund.

“If you’re eligible for an over 75 or blind concession, you can apply for a refund at any time and for any length of time left on your licence,” the TV Licensing website adds.

People aged 75 and above

The Government website confirms you can obtain a free TV Licence if you’re 75 or older and either:

• Are in receipt of Pension Credit
• Share a household with a partner who receives Pension Credit

Those currently claiming Pension Credit can apply for a complimentary TV licence upon reaching 74. Nevertheless, you must continue licence payments until the month’s end before your 75th birthday.

Your complimentary licence will take effect from that point onwards. Applications for a free licence can be submitted online here.

Care home residents

If you’re a resident in a care home or sheltered accommodation, you’re eligible to apply for a discount. Those residing in a qualifying residential care home, supported housing or sheltered accommodation can obtain a TV Licence for £7.50.

To be eligible, you must also be either:

• Retired and over 60
• Or disabled

Your housing manager can verify your eligibility and apply on your behalf.

If you’re registered as blind

If you’re registered as blind, or severely sight impaired, or live with someone who is, you can receive a 50 per cent discount. The licence must be registered in the name of the blind person – if it’s not, a new application can be made to transfer it into their name.

When applying, you’ll need to provide your existing TV Licence number. You can apply online here.

Nov. 22 (UPI) — Two of the United Kingdom’s largest media outlets and traditional competing newspapers would unite under a proposed $655 million sale.

Publisher Daily Mail and General Trust announced it has begun negotiations with RedBird IMI to buy the Daily and Sunday Telegraph newspapers for $655 million

RedBird IMI is a joint venture between U.S.-based RedBird Capital Partners and the United Arab Emirates-based IMI.

“The Daily Telegraph is Britain’s largest and best quality broadsheet newspaper, and I have grown up respecting it,” DMGT Chairman Jonathan Rothermere said in a statement shared with The New York Times.

“It has a remarkable history and has played a vital role in shaping Britain’s national debate over many decades,” Rothermere added.

Any agreement would require the approval of Britain’s Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to ensure the proposed buyer fulfills “the public interest” and prevents “foreign state influence” of media, the BBC reported.

Such scrutiny prompted U.S.-based RedBird Capital Partners to withdraw a prior offer to buy the news outlet outright.

RedBIrd IMI acquired a tangible interest in the newspaper when the Barclay family announced it was for sale amid financial problems in 2023, according to The Washington Post.

RedBird IMI arranged a debt deal with the Barclays that gave it the inside track on buying The Daily Telegraph and sister publication the Spectator.

The British government blocked the sale, though, partly due to concerns of foreign influence by UAE-based IMI.

RedBird IMI then sold the Spectator to British hedge-fund owner Paul Marshall in 2024, but a potential sale of The Daily Telegraph to New York Sun publisher Dovid Efune did not materialize.

RedBird Capital then tried to buy the newspaper with the help of a minority investor from Britain, while limiting IMI to a 15% ownership stake.

RedBird withdrew that plan in October and now has its hopes pinned on the proposed $655 million deal with DMGT.

Because of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statements in the Diet regarding the Taiwan issue, the already fragile China–Japan relationship has deteriorated rapidly. China has issued travel and study-abroad warnings for Japan, effectively halted imports of Japanese seafood, sent coast guard vessels into the “territorial waters” of the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, and had three warships transit the Osumi Strait in southern Japan.

At the same time, Beijing took the unusual step of announcing in advance that Premier Li Qiang would not meet the Japanese prime minister at the G20 summit. In just ten days, China launched a strong, multi-domain counterattack—political, diplomatic, economic, and military—with no signs of de-escalation.

If Prime Minister Takaichi does not retract her remarks, Beijing is likely to escalate even further and drag the United States into the dispute.

What actually happened? Is China overreacting? How far will Beijing take this confrontation?

Let us revisit the origin of the incident. In response to questioning in the Diet, Prime Minister Takaichi stated, “If China blockades Taiwan using warships and employing force, then no matter how you look at it, this could become a survival-threatening crisis for Japan.”

Pressed by the opposition, she added, “If China imposes a maritime blockade on Taiwan and U.S. forces intervening in that blockade come under armed attack, a crisis could arise.”

International media paid no attention to Takaichi’s clarification and focused only on the headline question: Will Japan send troops if military conflict breaks out in the Taiwan Strait? Accordingly, France’s Le Monde, Britain’s The Guardian, and the Associated Press all ran titles implying that Japan would dispatch forces if Taiwan were subjected to military action.

Japanese scholars have since written articles in U.S. media explaining that “Japanese military intervention in a Taiwan contingency” presupposes that U.S. forces have already intervened, and only then could Japan exercise the right of collective self-defense. Yet the Japanese government has not actively clarified this prerequisite on the international stage, drawing sharp criticism from well-known Japanese commentator Hiroyuki Nishimura for dereliction of duty.

Nishimura’s criticism exposes a widespread misunderstanding: even if the United States militarily intervenes in the Taiwan Strait, as long as Japanese territory is not under armed threat, Tokyo is legally barred from exercising collective self-defense. In other words, under the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty, the United States is obligated to defend Japan, but Japan has no treaty obligation to send troops to support U.S. forces in a war that does not concern Japan.

Therefore, the mitigating explanations offered by Japanese scholars on Takaichi’s behalf do not hold water. The Japanese government’s failure to clarify the issue in international media is naturally out of fear of offending Washington. It remains unclear whether President Trump fully understands the “asymmetric” nature of the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty, and Tokyo has no desire to remind this shrewd deal-making president that when American soldiers are dying on the battlefield, Japan actually has no treaty obligation to send troops.

Unless, of course, the reason for U.S. intervention in the Taiwan Strait is explicitly “to protect Japan.” Political rhetoric is one thing; the law is another. The fact remains that neither the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty nor Japan’s domestic legislation imposes any legal obligation on Japan to exercise collective self-defense when its ally, the United States, comes under attack.

Another fact: the Philippines is in exactly the same position as Japan. Unless U.S. forces become involved in order to protect the Philippines or Philippine territory is affected by the war, Manila has no obligation to send combat troops to assist the U.S.—it can only provide logistical and base support.

Of course, if the United States does intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait, it will inevitably claim it is to protect Japan (and the Philippines). But the authority to make that determination lies with Tokyo and Manila, both of which retain a certain right to stay out of the fight. This is precisely why U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby earlier this year demanded that Japan and Australia state clearly what actions they would take to support the United States in the event of a Taiwan contingency. That demand makes it crystal clear that America’s mutual defense treaties do not obligate allies to unconditionally fight alongside U.S. forces.

In short: when their own security is at stake, allies will send troops; otherwise, they will at most offer logistics and bases—no allied soldiers will go to the front lines.

This explains Beijing’s fierce reaction. Even if Takaichi did not mean Japan would intervene unilaterally in the Taiwan Strait, her remarks effectively expanded the “applicability scenarios” of the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty. If such moves are not checked, they will only encourage the Philippines, Australia, and other anti-China neighbors to follow suit—using the same logic to blackmail or bleed China.

This is not an overreaction, nor is it making a mountain out of a molehill. Beyond realpolitik necessity, the Chinese people have not forgotten Japan’s history of invading China—especially in this 80th anniversary year of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. If Beijing were to let the matter slide, it would face intense domestic backlash.

Therefore, unless Takaichi retracts her remarks, China–Japan relations will continue to worsen, eventually leading to a situation where “Taiwan is fine, but Japan is in crisis.”

Takaichi may well have intentionally provoked Beijing in order to shore up LDP support, rally Japanese nationalism, loosen the “three non-nuclear principles,” and expand conventional military capabilities. But the backlash has likely been far greater than she anticipated. The key still lies in America’s attitude.

Although the U.S. ambassador to Japan publicly expressed support for Tokyo and criticized Beijing, Washington’s overall response has been relatively muted—Trump has zero interest in letting Japan torpedo his scheduled China trip next April.

On the other hand, Beijing may well conclude that Washington is deliberately allowing Japan to interfere in China’s internal affairs in order to gain negotiating leverage. That would only reduce China’s inhibitions about sanctioning Japan and could lead it to directly challenge the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty, pushing the situation to the brink of losing control and forcing the U.S. to rein in Japan.

China has many tools to test the treaty—economic and trade measures, cultural exchanges, diplomacy, and even military options are all on the table. The disputed uninhabited Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and the Ryukyu Islands, whose sovereignty remains unresolved, are both historical issues left over from World War II. Although both fall within the scope of the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty, Washington has never recognized Japanese sovereignty over them.

Regarding the Ryukyus, Beijing can wage a protracted legal battle, continually emphasizing that the Potsdam Declaration never returned the islands to Japan. Regarding the Senkaku/Diaoyu, Beijing could move directly to military control—land on the islands, demolish Japanese facilities, raise the Chinese flag, and expel foreign vessels—forcing the United States to get involved.

If Beijing is pushed to the point of letting the situation spiral, its price to Washington will be high: it may include, but is not limited to, demanding that the U.S. block Japan from abandoning the three non-nuclear principles, block Japan’s “normalization” (turning the Self-Defense Forces into a full-fledged military), force Japan to pay tangible and intangible reparations for its invasion of China, or even force Takaichi to step down.

Would Trump risk a second Chinese rare-earth embargo over an uninhabited island whose sovereignty does not belong to Japan? The answer is obvious.

Beijing’s current Taiwan strategy has shifted from “opposing independence” to “advancing unification.” Part of that strategy is to make neighboring countries acknowledge—through actual state behavior, not just words—that the Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair. Japan is the poster child for neighboring hypocrisy—talking peace while acting otherwise. It will be shown no mercy for breaking the promises of diplomatic normalization; Beijing is determined to make a chicken of Japan to scare the monkey.

From this perspective, Prime Minister Takaichi may have thought she could achieve a classic boomerang effect (using the Taiwan issue for domestic political gain by first exporting strong rhetoric abroad). Instead, Beijing has been handed a rare opportunity to use Japan as a target and demonstrate to the world how it will reduce obstacles to unification.

The United States wants to avoid direct confrontation with China and prefers to let proxies stand on the front line so it can reap the benefits while remaining in the rear. On the surface this creates trouble for Beijing, but in reality it also creates endless headaches for Washington—because China will not limit itself to dealing with the proxies; it will drag the United States into the fight.

This is the new tactical phase in U.S.–China competition following the Busan meeting, testing the one-year truce both sides agreed to. Whether proxies are an advantage or a liability for Washington depends entirely on how Beijing chooses to handle the dispute—and Tokyo makes the ideal canary in the coal mine.

SHE was known for late-night partying with showbiz pals during her ladette days and Sara Cox admits that behind doors she was full of energy too.

The DJ says “no surface was safe” when she was at home with her advertising executive husband Ben Cyzer, who she has been with for two decades.

But flash forward to today and the 50-year-old mum of three says that “every surface is safe” and they often sleep in separate rooms because she can’t stand his snoring.

Sara said: “When I sometimes get on my little stool in the kitchen to reach for some Tupperware, I do think, ‘Oh, look, my fun area is really parallel with his face right at the moment’.

“But as the kids get older, you just can’t be doing that — they’d never get past it.

“I mean, when you’re in your early 30s and stuff, no surface is safe in the kitchen or the bathroom, is it? But now pretty much everywhere is safe.”

Sara, who has just completed the equivalent of five marathons in five days to raise an astonishing £10million for Children In Need, opened up about their sleeping habits at home in North London.

Just days before the epic fundraiser, she told The Teen Commandments Podcast: “This is my issue that I’ve got with Ben in the night.

“Just general breathing — just him breathing is annoying. Not during the day, I have to point that out. I just mean any slight noises.

“You know on a wildlife documentary where they have a shot of an animal that’s on high alert for a predator? I think I’ve got that kind of feeling in the middle of the night.

“Like, if I just hear the tiniest sound, it’s so magnified in the middle of the night — I think there’s a bit of anxiety in there.

“Because I remember in my 20s, if I woke up at 1.30am — well, I probably wouldn’t be in bed at half one — but if I woke in the middle of the night and it was like 3am in my 20s, I’d be, like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got loads of time to sleep, amazing’.

“And now I’m 50, I just go, ‘F**k, it’s three, I’m not going to sleep’. I nudge him and he’s really patient — he’s great about it. But we keep sleeping in ­separate rooms, which is a bit depressing.”

Bolton-born Sara doubtless needs plenty of rest after running a total of 135 miles from Kielder Forest in Northumberland to ­Pudsey in Leeds earlier this month — carrying the annual Beeb telethon’s mascot ­Pudsey Bear on her back.

During her Great Northern Marathon Challenge, the star was sent a message of encouragement by Prince William, who said: “Keep going — you’ve done fantastically well and the nation’s so proud of you.”

Sara says she was inspired to raise money for vulnerable kids after recalling the bullying she suffered at school from “two girls who made my life hell”.

This week she revealed she battled through the challenge by listening to tracks by rapper Stormzy and said it was a lot tougher than she ever expected.

Behind-the-scenes footage shown on Sara Cox: Every Step Of The Way For Children In Need, on BBC One on Wednesday, revealed the heartbreaking reason she decided to take on the challenge.

And now I’m 50, I just go, ‘F**k, it’s three, I’m not going to sleep’

Sara said: “My brother David died suddenly in 2019 and it completely destroyed the family — like, it came out of nowhere and he was a real athlete who ran countless Ironman competitions.

“I don’t think he’d believe I’m doing this, I think he’d be super-proud. I’m hoping that I’ve just got a bit of strength from him today.”

Sara’s children are now nearly the age she was when she found fame. Her eldest, Lola — from her first marriage — is 21, while Isaac and Renee are 17 and 15 respectively.

Sara had been working as a model when, at the age of 22 she landed her first TV job hosting The Girlie Show on Channel 4.

Two years later she became a presenter on The Big Breakfast and a year on, in 1999, it was announced she would take over the Radio 1 Breakfast show.

Known as “Coxy” back then, she worked — and partied — hard. Her pals included fellow broadcaster Zoe Ball, model Gail Porter, actress Donna Air and TV host Jayne ­Middlemiss.

They became notorious for their wild nights and were dubbed ladettes — a term Sara has always hated, saying it suggested they were “just trying to be like the boys . . . and we were never trying to be like the boys”.

Her lifestyle changed dramatically when she became mum to Lola in 2004, a year before she separated from her first husband DJ Jon Carter, who she had married in 2001.

Sara began dating Ben, now 50, in 2005 and they married in 2013 a year after she signalled another shift by quitting BBC Radio 1 to host the breakfast show on its more mature sister ­station, Radio 2. ‘Mind-boggling behaviour’.

She has admitted: “Yes, I used to drink loads. I thought nothing of ­having wine with lunch then going to the pub later, but they were ­different times. It all stops when you have children, to be replaced with other things that are just as pleasurable.

“The first ten years of my career I was out a lot more and the second decade I was explaining my ­behaviour in the first decade and apologising for it.”

And she said she never felt pressure to bring back her “Coxy” alter ego, because she had “buried her with some vodka and Marlboro Lights”.

The first ten years of my career I was out a lot more and the second decade I was explaining my ­behaviour in the first decade and apologising for it

Now her work has changed too. The BBC Radio 2 presenter has been hosting the station’s Drivetime show since January 2019 and next up is a new BBC One series, starting on December 1, about professional model-makers, called The Marvellous ­Miniatures Workshop.

When she’s not on the TV or the radio, Sara is busy hosting The Teen Commandments podcast with her best friend Clare Hamilton, who she has known since they were ­children.

The pair launched the podcast in January, having raised five teenagers between them.

The show casts light on the “mind-boggling behaviour” of their ­youngsters and how they tackled it with “wisdom that only comes from being rule-breakers themselves”.

On this week’s episode, Sara reveal­ed she has been trying to break her family’s addiction to mobile phones.

She confided: “I just feel like a st mum because I am not stopping it, and I feel completely powerless.

My brother David died suddenly in 2019. He was a real athlete. I don’t think he’d believe I’m doing this, I think
he’d be super proud

“I did suggest something, but it was immediately . . .  I mean, the faces I was met with . . .

“I should have really got Ben more on side because what can happen sometimes is that I will suggest something for us to do as a family, and Ben will immediately side with the teenagers and undermine me.

“I told him that I wanted to do something where we start having more time together as a family and we put the phones away.

“So over dinner, I was like, ‘Right, this weekend, can we do it where we just have four hours without our phones or our laptops or anything?’

“Immediately, Ben piped up, ‘That’s too long’. I’m giving him daggers when the youngest pipes up that she’s got to revise. She needs her phone. Fair enough.

“But I’m really worried that we’re not living our lives together as a family, where we look at each other and where we chat and where we do things and hang out.

“So I’m just, like, ‘Whether we go out on a big dog walk or we just do something as a family, let’s put the phones away for four hours’.”

Sara is unlikely to be popping out for a stroll any time soon as she complains she cannot walk following her fundraising efforts.

But she still feels like she is in the best shape of her life, explaining on her podcast: “It’s good on this side of 50, I’ve got to say.

“I think — especially when you’re a woman — it’s always like, ‘How do you feel about turning 50? What are you going to do?’ But this age seems better than the alternative, babe.”

Ferran Torres scores brace to send Barcelona to the top of La Liga, level with Real Madrid, who face Elche on Sunday.

Barcelona were back at their beloved Camp Nou and produced a dominant 4-0 victory over 10-man Athletic Bilbao to add to the homecoming celebrations.

Some 45,000 fans were on hand on Saturday as what is set to be Europe’s largest football stadium reopened at roughly half capacity.

Camp Nou had been closed for more than two years for a major overhaul that the indebted club hopes will boost revenues.

Robert Lewandowski set the tone early, capitalising on an error in Athletic’s defence in the fourth minute. Alex Berenger mishandled the ball while attempting to play out from the back, allowing the Polish striker to seize possession and fire a low effort past Unai Simon at the near post.

Barcelona maintained control throughout, relentlessly pressuring an out-of-form Athletic side. Ernesto Valverde’s charges have only managed three wins since September, losing six of their last nine league fixtures.

Eighth in the table with 17 points, Athletic rarely threatened the hosts.

Barcelona struck again in first-half stoppage time. Lamine Yamal’s expertly delivered long ball into space found Torres, and the Spanish forward took the pass perfectly in his stride, raced into the area and calmly slotted past Simon.

Three minutes into the second half, Barcelona punished another defensive lapse by Athletic. Attempting to play out from the back, the visitors gifted possession to the alert Fermin Lopez, who rifled a bullet strike into the net.

Athletic’s frustrations boiled over when Oihan Sancet was sent off with a straight red card in the 53rd minute following a reckless challenge on Lopez.

In the closing stages, Torres added his second, rounding off another counterattack set up by the 18-year-old Yamal, who provided a second sublime assist.

The win pulled Barcelona level on points with Real Madrid atop the table before Madrid visits Elche on Sunday.

“We played well from the start and took another three points, but the important thing today is being back at Camp Nou,” Lewandowski said. “It is something else to play here. I think when we play at Camp Nou, we are a little bit stronger.”

Barcelona’s fans belted out the club hymn before kickoff amid a celebratory vibe despite the chilly weather.

They had reason to be extra happy. The last time they had been able to attend a game at Camp Nou was May 2023. For the following 900-plus days, Barcelona played their home games at the municipally owned 55,000-seat Olympic Stadium located atop a hill overlooking the city that was more difficult to reach.

“It has been two years at the [Olympic Stadium] and it wasn’t easy, the atmosphere wasn’t the same, you could tell it wasn’t Camp Nou,” the 36-year-old fan Carlos Narváez told The Associated Press.

“This is like coming home. I am sure the players will feel that way, just like we fans do. You can see how excited everyone is.”

But homecoming aside, there is still significant work before the new-look Camp Nou is finished and ready to hold 105,000 fans.

The top tier of Camp Nou remains mostly a skeleton of metal and concrete beams and pillars; huge construction cranes loom over the stadium and are visible from the stands, and there are areas that look like a construction site.

Work on upgrading Camp Nou began in June 2023 to repair, modernise and expand a venue that previously had a capacity of 99,000. The club secured 1.45 billion euros (then $1.6bn) from multiple investors to undertake the remodelling project.

Barcelona had originally planned to be back playing games at Camp Nou as early as November 2024 to coincide with the club’s 125th anniversary. The date was pushed back several times, and the club has not said when it now expects the stadium work to be completed. The club said it plans to seek permission from authorities to open more seating as work progresses.

Barcelona also received authorisation from UEFA this week to host Eintracht Frankfurt at Camp Nou on December 9.

Six international airlines have suspended flights to Venezuela after the United States warned major carriers about a “potentially hazardous situation” due to “heightened military activity” around the South American country.

Spain’s Iberia, Portugal’s TAP, Chile’s LATAM, Colombia’s Avianca, Brazil’s GOL and Trinidad and Tobago’s Caribbean all halted flights to the country on Saturday, the AFP news agency reported, citing Marisela de Loaiza, the president of the Venezuelan Airlines Association.

TAP said it was cancelling its flights scheduled for Saturday and next Tuesday, while Iberia said it was suspending flights to the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, until further notice.

TAP told the Reuters news agency that its decision was linked to the US notice, which it said “indicates that safety conditions in Venezuelan airspace are not guaranteed”.

According to the AFP news agency, Panama’s Copa Airlines, Spain’s Air Europa and PlusUltra, Turkish Airlines, and Venezuela’s LASER are continuing to operate flights for now.

The flight suspensions come as tensions between the US and Venezuela soar, with Washington deploying troops as well as the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean, as part of what it calls an anti-narcotics operation. Caracas, however, describes the operation as a bid to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of power.

The US military has also carried out at least 21 attacks on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, killing at least 83 people.

The campaign – which critics say violates both international and US domestic law – began after the administration of President Donald Trump increased its reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Maduro to $50m, describing him as the “global terrorist leader of the Cartel de los Soles”.

President Trump, meanwhile, has sent mixed signals about the possibility of intervention in Venezuela, saying in a CBS interview earlier this month that he doesn’t think his country was going to war against Caracas.

But when asked if Maduro’s days as president were numbered, he replied, saying, “I would say yeah.”

Then, on Sunday, he said the US may open talks with Maduro, and on Monday, when asked about the possibility of deploying US troops to the country, he replied: “I don’t rule out that. I don’t rule out anything. We just have to take care of Venezuela.”

Days later, on Friday, the US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) urged all flights in the area to “exercise caution” due to the threats “at all altitudes, including during overflight, the arrival and departure phases of flight, and/or airports and aircraft on the ground”.

Ties between Washington and Caracas have been dominated by tensions since the rise of Maduro’s left-wing predecessor, Hugo Chavez, in the early 2000s.

The relationship deteriorated further after Maduro came to power following Chavez’s death in 2013.

Successive US administrations have rejected Maduro’s legitimacy and imposed heavy sanctions on the Venezuelan economy, accusing the president of corruption, authoritarianism and election fraud.

The Trump administration has hardened the US stance. Last week, it labelled the Venezuelan drug organisation, dubbed Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), a “terrorist” group, and it accused Maduro of leading it, without providing evidence.

In recent weeks, conservative foreign policy hawks in the US have been increasingly calling on Trump to topple the Maduro government.

Maduro has accused the US of inventing “pretexts” for war, repeatedly expressing willingness to engage in dialogue with Washington. But he has warned that his country would push to defend itself.

“No foreign power will impose its will on our sovereign homeland,” he was quoted as saying by the Venezuelan outlet Telesur.

“But if they break peace and persist in their neocolonial intentions, they will face a huge surprise. I pray that does not occur, because – I repeat – they will receive a truly monumental surprise.”

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who recently won a Nobel Peace Prize, suggested that overthrowing Maduro would not amount to regime change, arguing the president lost the election last year and rigged the results.

“We’re not asking for regime change. We’re asking for respect of the will of the people and the people will be the one that will take care and protect this transition so that it is orderly, peaceful and irreversible,” she told The Washington Post on Friday.

Machado, 58, has called for privatising Venezuela’s oil sector and opening the country to foreign investments.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked OpenAI’s use of several monikers, including “Cameos” and “CameoVideo,” for elements of its Sora artificial intelligence video generation products and marketing.

U.S. District Judge Eumi K. Lee on Friday issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the San Francisco AI giant from using names that are part of an ongoing trademark dispute.

The Northern California judge also set a Dec. 19 hearing to delve further into the matter.

The lawsuit was brought late last month by Chicago-based tech business Baron App, which also goes by the name of its product, Cameo. The eight-year-old firm sued OpenAI, alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition.

In its Oct. 28 lawsuit, Baron said it has secured several U.S. Trademark Registrations for its Cameo product, which enables fans to engage celebrities to make personalized videos to wish friends a happy birthday or other greetings.

Snoop Dogg, Tony Hawk, Jon Bon Jovi and Donald Trump Jr. are among celebrities who have participated, connecting with fans through Cameo, the company said in its complaint against Open AI. Cameo said its posts have been popular, attracting more than 100 million views in the past year.

The legal dispute began after OpenAI announced an update to its text-to-video tool Sora in September. The update included the launch of a new Sora feature that it called Cameos.

OpenAI’s fall product update gave consumers on the Sora app the ability to scan their faces and allow others to manipulate their facial images in AI-generated environments. YouTube influencer and boxer Jake Paul, who is an investor in OpenAI, participated in OpenAI’s Cameos’ rollout. In less than five days, the Sora app hit more than 1 million downloads.

“OpenAI is now using Cameo’s own mark, CAMEO, to compete directly with Cameo,” Baron wrote in its lawsuit against OpenAI.

Lawyers for the two companies argued their positions in a Tuesday hearing.

Lee’s decision forbids OpenAI and its “officers, directors and employees from using the mark ‘Cameo,’ or any other mark that includes or is confusingly similar to ‘Cameo,’ ” according to her order. “Defendants are ordered to show cause why a preliminary injunction should not [be] issue[d].”

The temporary restraining order expires Dec. 22.

“While the court’s order is temporary, we hope that OpenAI will agree to stop using our mark permanently to avoid any further harm to the public or Cameo,” Cameo CEO Steven Galanis said in a Saturday statement. “We would like nothing more than to put this behind us so that we can focus our full attention on bringing talent and fans together as we head into the holidays.”

An OpenAI spokesperson responded in a statement: “We disagree with the complaint’s assertion that anyone can claim exclusive ownership over the word ‘cameo’, and we look forward to continuing to make our case to the court.”

The move comes as OpenAI has faced blowback in Hollywood as images of celebrities and dead newsmakers were manipulated without their consent.

Nov. 22 (UPI) — Three teens face charges in a shooting that injured four, including two of the shooters, during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony Friday night in Concord, S.C.

The Concord Police Department has obtained a warrant for the arrest of Nasir Adhmad Bostic, 18, of Concord, on charges accusing him of assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury with the intent to killand inciting a riot.

Bostic was among the four who were shot and was hospitalized in critical condition as of Saturday.

Keyvyonn Rayshaund Bostic, 17, was arrested and uninjured shortly after the 7:30 p.m. shooting and is being prosecuted as an adult on charges that accuse him of being an accessory after the fact and inciting a riot.

A juvenile who also was shot and is hospitalized in critical condition also has a warrant issued for his arrest on assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill, two counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied property inflicting serious injury and inciting a riot.

Two 17-year-olds also were wounded and taken to a local hospital for treatment.

One remains in critical condition, while the other has been released.

Local police said the shooting allegedly was between NasirBostic and the unnamed juvenile, who knew each other and were the only ones to fire shots, ABC News reported.

Several first-responders with the Concord Police, Concord Fire Department and Cabarrus County Emergency Medical Services were attending the lighting ceremony and immediately initiated life-saving care on the four wounded youths.

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Bullseye returned to ITV earlier this month with Freddie Flintoff as host

Bullseye is back for another fun episode on Sunday night as three more pairs made up of keen darts player and quizzing partners compete against one another to win points and prizes.

Hosted by Freddie Flintoff, this weekend’s episode sees professional darts player Fallon Sherrock team up with Freddie, 47, to try to complete a charity challenge.

In an exclusive clip obtained by the Mirror of this Sunday’s episode, it sees a simple Coronation Street question cause confusion amongst the players.

Freddie asks: “The winner of Celebrity Big Brother in 2025, Jack P Shepherd, is a star of what soap?” to which contestant, Scott, wrongly guesses: “EastEnders?”

Freddie is quick to respond that his answer is sadly incorrect as he then asks the same question to the fellow players, Brian and Stuart.

Brian is quick to buzz in but before he can give his answer he hilariously admits: “What was the question?”, leaving the audience in hysterics while a confused Freddie responds: “Hey?”

However, Brian quickly remembers the questions and delivers the correct answer of Coronation Street.

It comes as Bullseye has returned for a new series and a 2025 Christmas special following last year’s one-off Bullseye festive special, which drew in audiences of over 8.6 million.

The original Bullseye aired from 1982 until 1995 and was hosted by the late Jim Bowen.

Meanwhile, Freddie will not be using his real name as the former England cricketer hosts the ITV quiz show.

The 47-year-old has always gone by Freddie but is actually named Andrew.

Cricket icon Flintoff has always been known as Freddie ever since his school days. He was given the nickname because his surname was similar to that of cartoon character Fred Flintstone.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? Because obviously, my name is Andrew, and then – since I was about 15 – I’ve just been called Fred or Freddie,” he said in a self-titled documentary on Disney+.

“Because Andrew is probably more a reflection of me. Quite introverted. Just like his own space.

“But that would never have survived the world of professional sport. I knew that pretty quickly.”

Bullseye airs Sundays at 8pm on ITV1.

The annual United Nations climate conference has ended with an agreement that urges action to address global warming, but falls short of endorsing a phase-out of fossil fuels.

After two weeks of heated debates, meetings and negotiations at the COP30 summit in the Brazilian city of Belem, world leaders on Saturday agreed to a deal that calls for countries to “significantly accelerate and scale up climate action worldwide”.

The text lays out a series of promises and measures – including a call for developed countries to triple their funding to help poorer nations respond to the crisis – but makes no mention of a fossil fuel phase-out.

Dozens of states had been calling forthe COP30 deal to lay out a framework to ease away from their reliance on oil, gas and coal – the major drivers of the climate crisis – but several countries that rely on fossil fuels had pushed back.

While observers say the deal marks a step forward in the world’s effort to address climate breakdown, several have argued that COP30 fell short of expectations.

Here’s a look at how some world leaders and climate advocates have reacted to the agreement.

COP30 President Andre Aranha Correa do Lago

“We know some of you had greater ambitions for some of the issues at hand. I know that you, civil society, will demand us to do more to fight climate change. I want to reaffirm that I will try not to disappoint you during my presidency,” he said during Saturday’s closing session.

“As [Brazilian] President [Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva] said at the opening of this COP, we need roadmaps so that humanity – in a just and planned manner – can overcome its dependence on fossil fuels, halt and reverse deforestation and mobilise resources for these purposes,” he said.

“I, as president of COP30, will therefore create two roadmaps: One on halting and reverting [reversing] deforestation and another to transitioning away from fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable manner.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

“COP30 has delivered progress,” Guterres said in a statement, including the call to triple climate adaptation financing and recognition that the world is going to surpass the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) target for global warming set under the Paris Agreement.

“But COPs are consensus-based – and in a period of geopolitical divides, consensus is ever harder to reach. I cannot pretend that COP30 has delivered everything that is needed. The gap between where we are and what science demands remains dangerously wide,” the UN chief said.

“I understand many may feel dissapointed [sic] – especially young people, Indigenous Peoples and those living through climate chaos. The reality of overshoot is a stark warning: We are approaching dangerous and irreversible tipping points,” he added.

Wopke Hoekstra, European Union climate commissioner

“We’re not going to hide the fact that we would have preferred to have more, to have more ambition on everything,” Hoekstra told reporters.

“It is not perfect, but it is a hugely important step in the right direction.”

Colombian President Gustavo Petro

“I do not accept that the COP30 declaration does not clearly state, as science does, that the cause of the climate crisis is the fossil fuels used by capital. If that is not stated, everything else is hypocrisy,” Petro wrote on social media.

“Life on the planet, including our own, is only possible if we separate ourselves from oil, coal, and natural gas as energy sources; science has determined this, and I am not blind to science.

“Colombia opposes a COP30 declaration that does not tell the world the scientific truth.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla

“While the results fell short of expectations, the Belem COP strengthens and demonstrates the importance of multilateralism in addressing major global challenges such as combating #climatechange,” he wrote on X.

“Among its key outcomes are the call for developed countries to provide climate finance for adaptation in developing countries, at least tripling current levels by 2035; the establishment of a mechanism to support our countries in just transitions; and the commitment from developed countries to fulfill their obligations under the Paris Agreement.”

China

“I’m happy with the outcome,” Li Gao, head of China’s delegation at COP30, told the AFP news agency.

“We achieved this success in a very difficult situation, so it shows that the international community would like to show solidarity and make joint efforts to address climate change.”

Alliance of Small Island States

A group representing the interests of 39 small island and low-lying coastal states described the deal as “imperfect” but said it nevertheless was a step towards “progress”.

“Ultimately, this is the push and pull of multilateralism. The opportunity for all countries to be heard and to listen to each other’s perspectives, to collaborate, build bridges, and reach common ground,” the Alliance of Small Island States said in a statement.

Amnesty International

Ann Harrison, climate justice adviser at Amnesty International, noted that COP30 host Brazil had promised to make sure “every voice is heard and made strenuous efforts to broaden participation, which should be replicated”.

“Yet the lack of participatory, inclusive, and transparent negotiations left both civil society and Indigenous Peoples, who answered the global mutirao [working together] call in large numbers, out of the real decision making,” Harrison said in a statement.

Still, she said “people power” had helped achieve “a commitment to develop a Just Transition mechanism that will streamline and coordinate ongoing and future efforts to protect the rights of workers, other individuals and communities affected by fossil fuel phase out”.

Oxfam

Viviana Santiago, executive director of Oxfam Brasil, said COP30 “offered a spark of hope but far more heartbreak, as the ambition of global leaders continues to fall short of what is needed for a liveable planet”.

“A truly just transition requires those who built their fortunes on fossil fuels to move first and fastest – and provide finance in the form of grants, not loans, so front-line communities can do the same. Instead, the poorest countries already in debt are being told to transition faster, with fewer funds,” Santiago said.

“The spark of hope lies in the proposed Belem Action Mechanism, which puts workers’ rights and justice at the centre of the shift away from fossil fuels. But without financing from rich countries, the just energy transition risks becoming stalled in many countries.”

HumAngle Foundation officially commenced the Strengthening Community Journalism and Human Rights Advocacy (SCOJA) Fellowship with workshops in Kaduna and Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, on Nov. 10, bringing together community journalists and human rights advocates to enhance skills in ethical storytelling and evidence-driven reporting.

The third batch of the training commenced on Monday, Nov. 17, in Maiduguri, Borno State. 

Supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria, the fellowship aims to build the capacity of community journalists and advocates across northern Nigeria.

A total of 90 fellows from nine states — North West (Kaduna and Kano), North Central (Benue, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa), and North East (Borno, Adamawa, Yobe) — have been selected. 

On the first day of the workshop in Maiduguri, Jos, and Kaduna, the fellows were introduced to HumAngle’s newly developed Standards of Journalism Excellence and Advocacy guide. The guide covers conflict-sensitive reporting, accountability, countering disinformation, digital safety, and solutions journalism. 

According to Abdussamad Ahmad, HumAngle’s Security & Policy Analyst, the manual was designed to support journalists and advocates working in conflict-affected regions where ethical clarity and accuracy are critical. 

The workshops also examined the role of community journalists, who often serve as the first witnesses to social issues and crises within their localities. Their proximity to affected populations positions them to capture realities that shape public understanding. Other sessions focused on data-driven storytelling, mapping community challenges, and identifying collaborative solutions.

Hassana Danyerwa, Founder of the FeelNHeal Initiative, said she found the sessions valuable. “We all need emotional hygiene, not just for our bias but also for our ego,” she said.

Through her initiative, Hassana provides psychosocial support to communities and individuals, and noted that the session reinforced the importance of maintaining emotional balance when reporting sensitive issues.

Building on this, fellows also reflected on the broader difficulties of reporting in environments shaped by insecurity, misinformation, and public mistrust. Facilitators encouraged them to approach their work with precision, empathy, and a strong commitment to verification, particularly when documenting the experiences of vulnerable groups.

As the North East workshop continues, sessions for North Central and North West fellows concluded on Nov. 13, marking the completion of training for these regions.

The inaugural SCOJA Fellowship cohort features participants from a wide range of local media and advocacy organisations, including WikkiTimes, The Middle Belt Reporters, and Voice of Arewa, among others.

Over the next six months, fellows will report on issues within their communities and execute targeted community advocacy projects. They are also expected to share their learnings within their local organisations, further amplifying the impact of the fellowship.