Dec. 19 (UPI) — Wisconsin’s Republican leaders will begin impeachment proceedings against Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan if she does not resign after her felony obstruction conviction.

State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August, both of whom are Republicans, issued the ultimatum in a joint statement, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on Friday.

“Judge Hannah Dugan, while wearing judicial robes of the state of Wisconsin, attempted to impede the lawful work of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents,” Vos and August said.

“The last time a Wisconsin judge was impeached was in 1853,” they said. “If Judge Dugan does not resign from her office immediately, the Assembly will begin impeachment proceedings.”

A jury of 12 on Thursday found Dugan guilty of obstructing federal agents as they attempted to arrest a man who was scheduled to appear on an unrelated matter in her courtroom in April.

The jury found her guilty of one count of obstruction, which is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The jury acquitted her on one count of concealment.

Dugan’s legal team said they will appeal her felony conviction.

Vos cited the Wisconsin Constitution’s Article XII, Section 3(2), which says no individual who has been convicted of a felony is eligible to serve in “any office of trust” in the state, unless that person is pardoned according to WISN.

Federal prosecutors tried Dugan in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Wisconsin in Milwaukee after she interfered with ICE agents’ efforts to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz for illegally being in the United States on April 18.

Court records show Dugan engaged the ICE agents in the court’s hallway after she helped Flores-Ruiz and his attorney use an entrance for jurors to exit the courthouse.

ICE agents arrested Flores-Ruiz after chasing him on foot.

The war on Ukraine was a big topic at Vladimir Putin’s annual televised question and answer session, but the Russian president wouldn’t say if the war is coming to an end.

ACTRESS Jessie Buckley has revealed she had given birth to her first child.

The 35-year-old star kept her pregnancy largely private and only confirmed she was expecting when she proudly posed with her baby bump on the red carpet back in April of this year.

Now, the star has revealed she is a mother after welcoming a child, a baby girl, earlier this year.

Jessie has confirmed her motherhood during promotion for her upcoming film, Hamnet.

The star has admitted in a new interview that she was longing to become a parent during the filming of the movie and eventually fell pregnant with her child shortly after it wrapped.

She was heard speaking on The New York Times‘ Modern Love podcast in which she detailed falling pregnant after playing the role of a grieving mother for the movie.

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Jessie said: “I’m not surprised I got pregnant a week after I finished filming because I had coaxed… it was also quite intense to have that need while I was in this place of absolute mother and it not be a real thing yet.”

During the interview, she revealed she had welcomed a daughter when she opened up on what she hoped to pass onto her in the future.

Jessie added: “I think the thing I can hope to impart to her, and I’m sure she’s going to go on her whole own trajectory, and she should, is we have one life.

“There’s always going to be things in our life that are going to make us doubt or be afraid or feel like it would be safer to be smaller in some way.

“And I see this little life that’s so new but so full and so untarnished by an idea or a projection of what we’re supposed to be. And I just hope that if I can pass anything onto her in the way that my mother’s has passed on to me is that all the parts of you are not too much. 

“The world needs all of you, and that means incubating the struggles, is like living through the struggles, the shadows.

“The things that are going to challenge you, you have to metabolize it and incubate it. And there’s no too-muchness. It’s only to be lived fully.”

Jessie is notoriously private about her personal life and rarely discusses her life outside of acting.

She is understood to have got married in 2022 to a mystery man known only as Freddie.

According to reports he is a North London based mental health professional.

They are understood to divide their time equally between plush homes in London and Norfolk.

PHOENIX — Erika Kirk, widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and the organization’s new leader, endorsed a potential presidential bid by Vice President JD Vance on the opening night of the conservative youth group’s annual conference.

After telling the cheering crowd that Turning Point would help keep Congress in Republican hands next year, she said, “We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible.”

Vance would be the 48th president if he takes office after President Trump.

Kirk’s statement on Thursday is the most explicit backing of Vance’s possible candidacy by a woman who has been positioned as a steward to her late husband’s legacy. Charlie Kirk had become a powerbroker and bridge builder within the conservative movement before he was assassinated in September.

Vance was close with Charlie Kirk, whose backing helped enable his rapid political rise. After the assassination, Vance and his wife joined Erika Kirk in Utah to fly her husband’s remains home to Arizona aboard Air Force Two.

Vance is set to speak to Turning Point on Sunday, the conference’s last day. The convention has featured the usual spectacle and energy that have characterized the organization’s events, but the proceedings have also been marred by intense infighting among conservative commentators and estranged allies who have turned on each other in the wake of Kirk’s death.

As Trump’s vice president, Vance is well-positioned to inherit the movement that remade the Republican Party and twice sent Trump to the White House. But it would be no small task for him to hold together the Trump coalition, which is built around personal loyalty to him more than shared political goals.

Various wings of the conservative movement already are positioning to steer the party after Trump’s presidency, a skirmish that’s becoming increasingly public and pointed.

Turning Point, with its thousands of young volunteers, would provide a major boost for Vance in a fractious primary. Now 41, Vance would be the first Millennial president if elected, a natural fit for the organization built around mobilizing youth.

Trump has repeatedly mused about running for a third term despite a constitutional prohibition. However, he’s also speculated about a 2028 ticket featuring Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Although Rubio previously ran for president in 2016, he has said he would support Vance as Trump’s successor.

Brown and Cooper write for the Associated Press. Brown reported from Washington.

Wawrinka, who turned pro in 2002, has won 16 tour-level trophies during his career, including a Masters 1000 title at Monte Carlo in 2014.

He also secured gold for Switzerland in doubles at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing partnering Roger Federer.

Known for his one-handed backhand, Wawrinka beat the world number one player in all three of his Grand Slam finals.

Wawrinka, who will turn 41 in March, has struggled with injuries in recent years and is currently ranked outside the top 150.

“I still want to push my limits and finish this journey on the best note possible,” Wawrinka added.

“I still have dreams in this sport. I’ve enjoyed every part of what tennis has given me, especially the emotions I feel playing in front of you.

“I’m looking forward to seeing you one more time, all around the world.”

Wawrinka’s first outing of 2026 will come at the United Cup team competition in Perth from 2 January.

Dec. 19 (UPI) — Pope Leo XIV on Friday named Bishop Richard Moth as archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales with about 6 million Catholics.

Moth, 67, will replace Cardinal Vincent Gerard Nichols as archbishop of Westminster, the Holy See Office said. His formal appointment will be on Feb. 14, the Guardian reported.

“I am moved greatly by the trust that Pope Leo has placed in me, in appointing me to the diocese of Westminster,” said Moth, who was bishop of Arundel and Brighton since 2015.

Earlier this year, Nichols, 80, offered to resign when he turned 75 but was asked by the late Pope Francis to remain. He was a member of the conclave that named a new pontiff in May.

Moth said Nichols has “given dedicated service to the diocese and will be missed greatly.”

Nichols said he was delighted about his successor.

“I remember being present in Westminster Cathedral on 29 September 2009 for the episcopal ordination of Bishop Richard as bishop of the forces,” Nichols said. “So today I can say: ‘Welcome back, dear Bishop Richard. You are most welcome indeed. ‘”

Moth served the territory in southern England covering the counties of Sussex and Surrey, which is not part of Westminster. His new diocese includes most of London north of the Thames and the county of Hertfordshire.

Moth said he is looking forward to his new role.

“My first task will be to get to know the priests and people of Westminster and I look forward now to serving them,” Moth said. “With them, and building on the firm foundations that have been laid by so many down the years, I look forward to continuing the great adventure that is the life of the church and witness to the gospel.”

Moth was born in southern Africa’s Zambia in 1958, grew up in Kent in southeastEngland, completed his primary and secondary studies in Catholic schools in Kent and became an ordained priest in 1982.

Before becoming bishop of Arundel and Brighton, Moth was bishop of the military forces for six years. He also leads governors at St. Mary’s University in Twickenham, and is a member of the liaison bishop for prisons.

Moth has been an oblate of Pluscarden Abbey, a community of Catholic Benedictine monks in Scotland, for more than 40 years. He also is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

He has been involved in numerous issues.

Moth asked clergy and parishioners to write to their ministers to express their concerns about assisted dying.

He also called for empathy for “those who come to this country for their safety,” noting Jesus’ family fled to Egypt as refugees.

And he worked on social justice issues in Britain.

There are 726 active archbishops worldwide for 1.4 billion Catholics.

On Thursday, the pope named Bishop Ronald A. Hicks, 58, of Joliet, Ill., as New York’s new archbishop, ending the 16-year tenure of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, 75.

Prague has been crowned the cheapest Christmas market destination in Europe with £2 pints and £74 hotels, and it’s also one of the most photographed festive spots on the continent

If you’re on the hunt for the ultimate Christmas market to explore this December, then you’re in luck. Hoppa has done the legwork for you and identified the most affordable destination to soak up the festive atmosphere.

The airport transfer experts have scrutinised dozens of European winter holiday spots, considering factors such as average accommodation costs, Tripadvisor reviews, and even the price of a pint.

And the European location that offers the best value for money this Yuletide is…Prague!

I agree with them after visiting the scenic city of Prague two years ago during the Christmas period. The Old Town Square has an iconic Gothic Church, a 20-Metre Christmas tree and is the most festive place I’ve ever experienced.

READ MORE: Charming UK town with vibrant Christmas market where you might even bump into a celebrity

It truly comes alive in December when the Christmas lights sparkle, locals sing traditional Czech carols and chalets sell everything from Trdelník (chimney cake) to hand-painted Czech Marionettes and puppets.

In addition to a visually stunning Christmas market, you’ll find an impressive 4,811 attractions to keep you entertained. With a score of 7.5 out of 10, the average cost of a 3-star hotel in Prague is a mere £74, and a pint will set you back just £2.17, according to secretldn.com.

The square is lined with eateries where you can sit back, enjoy reasonably priced food and drink, and indulge in some people-watching. Dinner with drinks typically costs between 250-400 CZK (roughly £8 to £14), with street food being even more affordable.

You can enjoy traditional dishes like Goulash, Svíčková (beef in cream sauce) or Vepřo knedlo zelo (pork, dumplings, sauerkraut) washed down with mulled wine, beer or Tatratea : A popular tea-based spirit.

In fact, the Christmas market is so picturesque that it’s been dubbed the most photographed Christmas market in Europe by various media outlets and Prague City Tourism.

There’s still ample time to visit – the market operates annually from late November until early January, transforming the square into a magical scene dominated by the towering Gothic spires of Týn Church and the Astronomical Clock.

One of the best aspects is that despite being only a two-hour flight from the UK, once you set foot in the Old Town Square, it feels as though you’ve travelled back in time. And you can get there for as little as £27 return (if you book well in advance), leaving plenty of spare change for a few £2 pints of beer.

The 10 most budget-friendly European winter getaway destinations:

Prague, Czech Republic.

Bansko, Bulgaria.

Sofia, Bulgaria.

Budapest, Hungary.

Tallinn, Estonia.

Kraków, Poland.

Tirana, Albania.

Belgrade, Serbia.

Bratislava, Slovakia.

Vilnius, Lithuania.

Responding to reports that Hamas may be willing to partially disarm, handing over heavy weaponry but keeping its small arms, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said peace will never happen if the group has the capability to “threaten or attack Israel.”

Advertising on streaming services is a big new growth business for marketing and media companies, but consumers are increasingly frustrated by what they see and hear on their screens.

Ads might be too loud, of poor quality or irrelevant, and repeat too often. Sometimes, there’s an ad in a foreign language or a blank screen. As more streaming services launch ad-supported plans, viewers are experiencing these issues in greater numbers, which could come at a cost to the media companies.

“It can lead to them losing subscribers,” said Ruben Schreurs, chief executive officer of Ebiquity Plc, a London-based consultancy that says 75 of the world’s top 100 advertisers are clients.

Better, more-relevant advertising has been one of the recurring mantras of the connected-TV world. As online platforms gathered more data on their users, they were supposed to provide sponsors with targeted opportunities. Consumers would see spots for products they were more likely to want. Instead, those advances have become the source of viewer frustration.

National ad spending on streaming is expected to climb 13% to $12.3 billion this year, while such spots on traditional TV networks fall 4.9% to $33.8 billion, researcher Magna Global estimated in June. Streaming now reaches 96% of U.S. households, according to another researcher, Kantar Group & Affiliates, making the services a big opportunity for advertisers.

“We’ve seen more budget and spend move over,” said Joe Nowak, senior vice president of growth and strategy at Kantar.

Walt Disney Co. and Netflix Inc. have launched advertising-supported plans for their streaming services. At Netflix, ad-supported plans account for more than half of new subscriptions in markets where those plans are offered. They are usually offered at a discount. Disney+ with commercials is $12 a month, for example, while the ad-free version is $19.

Streaming offers advertisers distinct advantages over other media, according to Nowak, including interactive capabilities. On Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime Video service viewers can click into ads to buy the products shown.

In theory, advertisers can also target consumers more closely on streaming services. In traditional TV, all viewers typically see the same ads during a given broadcast. With streaming, commercials can become more personalized through a process called “dynamic ad insertion.” Audiences see commercials tailored to attributes like their location or viewing history.

It’s also easier and cheaper for advertisers, including smaller ones, to purchase streaming spots than it is on broadcast or cable.

Streaming ads are typically sold in online auctions, where spots for shows, sporting events and movies go to the highest bidder. That’s led to “democratization of access,” according to Ebiquity’s Schreurs.

“Instead of actual salespeople from the network negotiating directly with media agencies for big activations, big deals for well-known brands where they can vet the creatives, the process has become real-time,” he said.

Without that vetting, streaming platforms have less control over the ads that appear on their platforms. The smaller brands winning auctions may not have the same resources to produce high-quality commercials, according to Sean Muller, chief executive officer of the ad measurement platform iSpotTV Inc. These businesses sometimes rely on artificial intelligence to produce their ads, he said.

“You absolutely get a lot of that, and they do tend to be lower-quality,” Muller said.

Another common issue centers on ad frequency. With brands able to snap up ad blocks at auction, they sometimes get overzealous, feeding viewers the same spot over and over in a single show.

That’s particularly frustrating for streaming viewers, who are “more of a captive audience” than traditional TV audiences, who can easily change channels.

“Switching apps is a little bit of a pain in the butt,” Muller said.

And unlike the old days when consumers recorded programs to watch later, in the streaming era you can’t skip the commercials.

While streaming ads can pinpoint audiences based on their ZIP code, they sometimes miss wildly. For instance, viewers in a neighborhood with a large Latino audience may get an ad in Spanish even while watching a show in English.

“If it was done the right way, it would be running in Spanish-language content,” said Jim Wilson, CEO of Madhive, an ad platform designed for local advertisers.

There are other problems with streaming ads that seldom pop up on regular TV. For example, a blank screen sometimes appears during commercial breaks.

“They’re either not sold out on their inventory or there’s some sort of technical issue,” Wilson said.

But perhaps the biggest annoyance for streaming viewers happens when ads are ear-splittingly loud — a problem that used to crop up on conventional TV. That happens when streaming services fail to “normalize” the volume on ads before they are inserted.

In October, California passed a law requiring the services to keep the sound level of ads the same as the programming they accompany. It was inspired, according to state Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Orange), by one of his staffers whose sleeping baby was awakened by a loud streaming ad.

“This is a quality-of-life issue,” he said in an interview.

The legislation, which takes effect on July 1, 2026, could inspire changes on a national level and is one of the most well-known bills he’s worked on.

“This struck a chord with anyone who watches any entertainment on a streaming service,” Umberg said.

Miller and Palmeri write for Bloomberg.

The intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in October removed South Africa, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Burkina Faso from its “Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring” list, commonly known as the FATF gray list. The decision followed on-site assessments and noted improvements in the four African countries’ anti-money-laundering (AML) and counter-terror-financing (CFT) frameworks.

FATF President Elisa de Anda Madrazo described the removals as “a positive story for the continent of Africa.” She highlighted:

• South Africa’s use of enhanced tools to detect money laundering and terrorist financing
• Nigeria’s improved inter-agency coordination
• Mozambique’s increased financial intelligence sharing, and
• Burkina Faso’s strengthened oversight of financial institutions.

The four nations’ departure from the gray list is Africa’s largest simultaneous improvement in FATF ratings in a decade. Some jurisdictions continue to face structural challenges in curbing financial crime. Still, delisting signals to global investors that the continent’s banking systems are gaining credibility.

It’s also a sign to global banks, investors, and correspondent-banking networks that systemic risk in these countries is diminishing. As a result, it could potentially unlock cross-border lending, trade finance, and capital flows.

Why Delisting Matters

Remaining on the FATF gray list can have tangible economic consequences. The International Monetary Fund estimates that grey listing reduces foreign capital inflows by roughly 7.6% of GDP. The FATF estimates that globally, 2% to 5% of GDP—around $800 billion to $2 trillion annually—may be laundered through financial systems.

South Africa’s National Treasury said the delisting reflected a year-long effort to address nearly all 22 items on its FATF action plan. “Removing the designation is not a finish line, but a milestone on a long-term journey toward building a robust and resilient financial ecosystem,” noted Edward Kieswetter, commissioner of the South African Revenue Service, 

Nigeria’s Financial Intelligence Unit emphasized that the country has “worked resolutely through a 19-point action plan” to satisfy FATF requirements. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu described the decision as “a major milestone in Nigeria’s journey towards economic reform, institutional integrity, and global credibility.”

Despite progress, some African countries, such as Tanzania, Cameroon, and Mozambique, remain under FATF scrutiny. “Getting off the list could make it easier for capital to enter these markets,” says LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ Vincent Gaudel. “Banks will expand correspondent services and trade-finance operations will run more smoothly.”

It was a game to remember for Londynn Jones. She played with confidence and showed her dribbling skills and displaying her all-around skills as she finished the game with a career-high 28 points in the USC women’s basketball team’s 86-39 win over Cal Poly on Thursday night at Galen Center.

In the first part of the game, Jones was perfect on offense while aggressively defending every time the Mustangs had the ball. When Cal Poly attacked, she came up with steals and completed the play with a field goal, sometimes even adding one more point on a foul.

“I’m just happy we’re figuring it out, starting to finally put the pieces together,” she said. “I know that’s something we’ve been emphasizing in practice, just watching films and putting the pieces together.”

Jones finished the game making 11 out of 16 field goals, and Jazzy Davidson scored 17 points and had nine rebounds.

The Trojans (8-3) looked sluggish in the first half, with Davidson making only three of 11 field goals, and the Mustangs (2-9) grabbing 15 rebounds. But as the game progressed, the USC defense forced Cal Poly to run out the shot clock on multiple occasions and caused 27 turnovers while scoring 39 points off of them.

“We sort of played the way we wanted to, for a majority of the game, and that’s encouraging,” coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.

After losing to Connecticut 79-51 on Saturday, Gottlieb wanted to see her team play with intention while defending, she wanted them to pressure on the ball, and she wanted to see participation from all the players on the court, at once.

Offensively, she wanted her team to do the simple things better. Gottlieb wanted them to create space and have better movement.

“I saw that in practice and I think we saw a lot of it in the game tonight, too,” she said. “But, it’ll continue to be a work in progress.

The Trojans started the third quarter with 10 unanswered points. Cal Poly scored only five points in the quarter, allowing the Trojans to extend their advantage, closing out the third quarter with a 43-point lead, 71-28.

The Trojans finished the game with 15 steals and the bench scoring 45 points. As a whole, the team finished the game with 44 rebounds, with the majority of them coming from the offense.

“I thought our defensive intensity created more open looks for us,” Gottlieb said.

Yakiya Milton was a big part of that with her eight rebounds with four blocks in 10 minutes of play. One of the four blocks came when she stopped a Mustang drive to the basket and protected the rim. Something that Gottlieb preached during practice, she said.

“I try to capitalize on any opportunity I’m given,” Milton said. “I’m trying to play with as much energy and intensity as I can.”

As the Trojans look ahead to a stretch of Big 10 games against Nebraska and UCLA, Gottlieb doesn’t see a starting five. She sees the strengths of her team to be how deep their roster is.

“No one played 30 minutes at all and maybe that’s a little bit atypical, but we do believe that we can play different kinds of lineups, different people who have different skill sets, different looks,” she said.

And with the help of Jones, who has been to the Final Four with UCLA and has played in big conference games, she knows the team will feed off her energy and play with confidence

“I mean, she was wearing the wrong colors or the other colors,” Gottlieb quipped. “But you know, she’s been in situations and that experience is premium.”

“She’s going to bring that confidence and swagger no matter what,” she added.

“This is what gives us purpose.” Coders and engineers in Gaza’s tech sector are fighting to finish projects and keep clients, dealing with little electricity, limited internet, and aging equipment.

In a significant escalation of the ‘tanker war’ between Russia and Ukraine, which has so far played out mainly in the Black Sea, Ukrainian aerial drones have struck a tanker belonging to Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’ in the Mediterranean. The latest incident comes after a tit-for-tat series of attacks, and a warning earlier this month from Russian President Vladimir Putin that he would “cut Ukraine off from the sea” in response to Kyiv stepping up its campaign against Russian commercial shipping. 

A source from within the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the government’s main internal security agency, told TWZ that “a new, unprecedented special operation” was carried out “more than 2,000 kilometers” (1,243 miles) from Ukrainian territory.

The target was the Oman-flagged crude oil tanker Qendil, empty at the time of the attack and sailing from the Indian port of Jamnagar, where it had been unloaded on December 1.

“Accordingly, this attack did not pose any threat to the ecological situation in the region,” the SBU said.

Before unloading, the tanker had left Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk on November 4, sailing through the Bosphorus and Mediterranean, then passing the Suez Canal en route to India. The vessel was built in 2006 and has a capacity of 115,338 deadweight tonnes.

According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel tracking, the attack likely occurred when the tanker was heading west in the Mediterranean between Malta and Crete, which would put it around 930 miles from Ukraine. According to AIS data, the vessel made a U-turn immediately before midnight and then turned toward the east, for unknown reasons, changing its destination to Port Said in Egypt.

The SBU explained that aerial drones were used as part of a “multi-stage” operation that was conducted by forces from its Special Group “Alpha.” The same group was responsible for yesterday’s aerial drone attack on Belbek Air Base in Crimea, which you can read more about here.

The SBU shared a video with us that purports to show the attack on the tanker. Here, munitions can be seen dropped onto the deck from a hexacopter-type aerial drone, indicating a short-range attack, with ‘bomber drones’ likely having been launched from a nearby vessel. The launch of these drones from a neighboring country would only be possible if the target was half a dozen or so miles off the coast.

The SBU claims that the tanker “suffered critical damage and cannot be used for its intended purpose.” The video evidence suggests that damage was inflicted on the tanker’s topside infrastructure, although it’s unclear how severe this was.

“Russia used this tanker to circumvent sanctions and earn money that went to the war against Ukraine,” the agency added in a statement. “Therefore, from the point of view of international law and the laws and customs of war, this is an absolutely legitimate target for the SBU. The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop and will strike it anywhere in the world, wherever it may be.”

In a statement, the security firm Vanguard said that the attack reflected “a stark expansion of Ukraine’s use of uncrewed aerial systems against maritime assets associated with Russia’s sanctioned oil export network.”

The EU and the United Kingdom sanction Qendil, since it is considered part of the shadow fleet, a term for vessels used by Russia (as well as by Iran and Venezuela) to evade sanctions with deceptive practices. These include changing flags and complex chains of ownership, often using shell companies.

It might not be a coincidence that the attack took place on the day of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual end-of-year press conference. During this, Putin said that Russia would respond to recent Ukrainian attacks on shadow fleet tankers.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has relied heavily on the shadow fleet, estimated to number more than 1,000 ships, to circumvent sanctions and export crude oil, bringing much-needed revenue.

Putin said today that Russia would “definitely respond” to Ukraine’s campaign against its shadow fleet. “Ultimately, this will not lead to the expected result,” he said. “It will not disrupt any supplies, but will only create additional threats,” Putin added.

Ukraine has previously used drone strikes to target Russian shadow tankers in the Black Sea.

As we have previously reported, Ukraine carried out three attacks on Russian-connected oil tankers in the Black Sea in late November and early December. This campaign has drawn a response in kind from Russia, using a Shahed-type drone, as you can read about here.

Ukraine’s SBU security service says its Sea Baby naval drones today struck another Russian “shadow fleet” tanker in the Black Sea.

Video from an SBU source purports to show the oil tanker “Dashan” being hit by the attack drone and explosions in the stern area. “The vessel,… pic.twitter.com/mtfBqYe1gQ

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) December 10, 2025

However, the first confirmed Ukrainian strike on a Russian-linked vessel this far from the Black Sea theater is a significant development. It is highly likely that the clandestine anti-ship war waged between Iran and Israel — something we have reported on for years now —likely provided a template for this.

The ability to use short-range drones to prosecute attacks in the Mediterranean indicates that vessels could be under threat elsewhere in European waters or even beyond. Beyond that, we could see Ukraine start to use longer-range systems, including one-way attack drones equipped with Starlink terminals, in the future.

Regardless, this development not only makes it potentially harder for Russia to export oil but also means that other commercial shipping will have to be aware of the increasing risks and potentially take measures to enhance their protection.

While the attack on Qendil appears to be the first of its kind in the Mediterranean, a further geographical expansion of Kyiv’s campaign against the Russian shadow fleet should not be ruled out.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

Keiko Agena likes to create moments of coziness — not just on Sundays, but whenever she possibly can.

“Oh, there’s my rice cooker,” she says when she hears the sound in her Arts District home. “We’re making steel-cut oatmeal in the rice cooker, which by the way, is a game changer. I used to have to baby it and watch it, but now I can just put it in there and forget it.”

In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.

The 52-year-old actor, who played music-loving bestie Lane Kim in the beloved series “Gilmore Girls,” delights in specific comforts like a bowl of warm oats, talking about Enneagram numbers and watching cooking competitions with her husband, Shin Kawasaki.

“It sounds so simple, but I look forward so much to spending time on the couch,” Agena says with a laugh.

It is time that she’s intentional about protecting, especially amid her kaleidoscope of projects. Over the last couple of years, Agena starred in Lloyd Suh’s moving play “The Chinese Lady” in Atlanta, acted in Netflix’s “The Residence,” showcased her artwork in her first feature exhibit, “Hep Tones” (some of her ink and pencil drawings are still for sale), and performed regularly on that L.A. improv circuit. And her work endures with “Gilmore Girls,” which turns 25 this year. Agena narrated the audiobook for “Meet Me at Luke’s,” a guide that draws life lessons from the series, and is featured in the upcoming “Gilmore Girls” documentary “Drink Coffee, Talk Fast.”

She shares with us her perfect Sunday in L.A., which begins before sunrise.

5 a.m.: Morning solitude

I like to be up early-early, like 5 a.m. I like that feeling of everything being quiet. I’ll go into the other room and do Duolingo on my phone. I am a little addicted to social media, so the Duolingo is not just to learn Japanese, but also to keep me from scrolling. Like, if I’m going to do something on my phone, this is better for me. I think my streak is 146. Shin is Japanese, from Oyama. So I’ve been meaning to learn Japanese for a while. For him and his mom.

Then I’ll do [the writing practice] Morning Pages. I don’t know when I learned about Julia Cameron’s book [“The Artist’s Way”] — probably around 2000. I know a lot of people do it handwritten, but I’m a little paranoid about people, like, finding it after I die. So if I have it on my computer and it’s password protected, I can be really honest.

Then a lot of times, I’ll go back to bed. Shin, as a musician, works at night, and so he wakes up a lot later. So I’ll fall back asleep and wake up with him.

9 a.m.: Gimme that bread

I don’t do coffee anymore because it’s a little too tough for my system, but I’ll walk with Shin to Eightfold Coffee in the Arts District. It’s tiny but very chill. Then we’re going to Bliss Bakery inside the Little Tokyo Market Place. We get these tapioca bread balls. If you make any kind of sandwich that you would normally make, but use that bread instead, it ups the game. It’s life-changing. The Little Tokyo Market Place is not fancy or anything, but it has everything that you would want. There’s Korean food. They have a little sushi place in there. You can get premade Korean banchan and hot food in their hot food section. They also have a really good nuts section. It’s just one big table with all these nuts, just piles and piles.

10 a.m.: Nature without leaving the city

We’ll go to Los Angeles State Historic Park near Chinatown. I like that place just because it’s very accessible. Like, they have accessible bathrooms and I’m always checking out whether a place has good bathrooms. We call it Flat Park because it’s a great walk. Like, you’re not really out in nature, but there’s a lot of greenery. You can take your shoes off and at least touch grass for a second.

11:30 a.m.: Lunch and TV cooking shows

One of my favorite salad-sandwich combos is at Cafe Dulce in Little Tokyo. A Korean cheesesteak and a kale salad. That’s always like a — bang, bang — good combo. So we might go there or Aloha Cafe, though it’s not fully open on Sundays. But I love it because I grew up in Hawaii. They have this great Chinese chicken salad and spam musubi and other Hawaiian food that is so good.

We’ll bring home food and watch something. Cooking competition shows are my cream of the crop. My favorite right now is “Tournament of Champions” because it’s blind tasting. To me, that’s the best way to do it. “The Great British Bake Off” is Shin’s favorite. He loves the nature and the accents as much as the actual cooking. He just loves the vibe, the slow pace of the whole thing.

I’m such a TV girl. I love spending time on the couch and eating a meal and watching something that’s appetizing with my favorite person in the world. I’m lucky because I get to do that a lot.

2 p.m.: Browse the aisles

I’ll go to this bookstore called Hennessey + Ingalls. I love art and architecture and design, but you can’t always buy these massive books. But you can go into this bookstore and look at them and it’s always chill.

If I have time, I’ll walk around art supply stores. Artist & Craftsman Supply is a good one. I’ll look at pens, pencils, stickers, tape, washi tape, different kinds of paper, charcoals. In my art, I try to find things that aren’t meant for that particular purpose, like little things in a hardware store that I’ll use it in a different way.

5 p.m.: Downtown L.A. in its glory

We really love to walk the Sixth Street Bridge. It’s architecturally beautiful and they’re building a huge park over there, so we’ll walk around and check it out, like, ‘Which trees are they planting? Can you see?’ We sort of dream about how it’s coming together. But the other beautiful thing about that walk is that if you go at sunset and you walk back toward downtown, it’s just gorgeous. Los Angeles doesn’t have the most majestic skyline, but it’s so picturesque in that moment.

6:30 p.m.: Cornbread and Enneagrams

I’ll head to the Park’s Finest in Echo Park. It’s Filipino barbecue. It’s just so savory and rich and a special hang. Their cornbread is really good. Oh, and the coconut beef, but I’m trying to eat less beef. They have a hot link medley. Oh my gosh, just looking at this menu right now, my mouth is watering. OK, I’ll stop.

One of my favorite things to do is ask friends about their Enneagram number. So the idea of sitting with friends over a good meal and asking them a bunch of personal questions about their childhood and what motivates them and what their parents were like and what their greatest fear is and then figure out what their Enneagram number is? That is top-tier activity for me.

9 p.m.: Rally for improv

Because I get up so early, if 9 o’clock, I’m ready to go to sleep. But I am obsessed with improv, so on my ideal day, there’d be a show to do. There’s this place called World’s Greatest Improv School in Los Feliz. It’s tiny and they just opened a few years ago, but the vibe there is spectacular.

Then there’s another place where my heart is so invested in now called Outside in Theatre in Highland Park. Tamlyn Tomita and Daniel Blinkoff created it together and not only is the space gorgeous — I mean, they built it from scratch — they have interesting programming there all the time. They’re so supportive of communities that are not seen in mainstream art spaces. It’s my favorite place. Sometimes I’ll find myself in their lobby till 12 o’clock at night. The kind of people I like to hang around are the people that hang out in that space.

11 p.m.: Turn on the ASMR and shut down

I am firmly an ASMR girl and I have been for years. I have to find something to watch that will slow my brain down. Then it’s pretty consistent. I don’t last very long once I turn something on. My eyelids get heavy and it chills me out.

The singer described one moment that it all went wrong during a show

The singer Taylor Swift has recalled suffering a horrific injury during her ambitious Eras Tour that left her skin ‘flapping off’.

Her admission came during the latest episode of her new doc-series releasing on Disney Plus. The End of an Era is a 6-episode documentary series chronicling the creation, influence, and behind-the-scenes workings of the mega-popular artist’s The Eras Tour.

It offers an intimate glimpse into Taylor’s world as her tour dominated headlines and delighted supporters globally. Two episodes have been releasing weekly starting with last week’s double premiere.

Fans have already been treated to plenty of behind the scenes secrets, including emotional moments. They include the singer rewarding her team with bonus payments for their efforts. Also the pop star broke her silence regarding the tragic Southport attacks for the first time.

Unsurprisingly, the series has proven to be a huge hit with fans. Taylor has even given them an early Christmas gift as it was recently revealed that the two final episodes will now release earlier than originally planned, on December 23.

The latest episodes demonstrated the physical effort needed for Taylor and her team to pull off the Eras show. She is seen rehearsing extensively with plenty of time also spent working out in a personal gym so she can perform all the dances and moves to the best of her ability.

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However, even with all this preparation, sometimes things don’t go quite as planned. Taylor reveals that she suffered a horrendous injury during a show in Texas back in April 2023.

During the show, she tripped and cut her hand open during a costume change. Explaining the incident, she says: “I remember I was running from the Evermore era, and I tripped over the hem of my dress. Bust my knee. I skid the palm of my hand off. Hobble into the quick-change room, blood’s coming down my hand.”

Somehow, she still managed to make her change, which is often timed to take as much as 39 seconds, and into the next item which happens to be her Reputation body suit. But she adds that a piece of her skin was “flapping off.”

She added: “I just pull it off. More blood. They don’t have a Band-Aid back there.” Recreating her movements, she proudly concludes: “Wasn’t late. Wasn’t late for the intro of that song.”

While the incident or injury was not publicly mentioned, it didn’t take long for Swifties to noticed. Taylor adds: “”The fans noticed it a couple of days later, they’re like, ‘Oh, her palm’s gone.’ I was like, ‘I am not acknowledging this. What? Nothing’s wrong, it’s always been like that.'”

Taylor Swift: The End of An Era is streaming on Disney Plus.

DETROIT — In the frantic final firefight of the 1992 presidential campaign, this battered industrial city may have been ground zero.

In the last days before today’s vote, President Bush and Bill Clinton crossed paths over and over again through a narrow band of critical Rust Belt and Great Lakes states–from New Jersey and Pennsylvania to Ohio and Wisconsin. But no state occupied more of their attention than Michigan.

Into this battlefield, the two major contenders have fired television and radio ads, mailings, surrogate speakers and repeated visits of their own–to the point where even veteran local observers have been overwhelmed. Their efforts–reinforced by Ross Perot’s national television barrage–have put the campaign on everyone’s lips.

“There’s a lot of strong feelings on it this year,” said LeAnn Kirrmann, a Republican activist from Grand Ledge, as she waited for Bush to arrive at a rally near here Sunday.

That appears to be the case across the nation, as voters render their verdict on this stormy, vituperative and often path-breaking campaign. Polls show the percentage of voters paying close attention to the campaign has soared this fall, and most experts expect a large turnout–a dramatic conclusion to a campaign that has regularly produced moments of high drama.

“It’s a mortal lock that turnout is going up,” said GOP pollster Bill McInturff.

After tightening significantly last week, national polls show Clinton again holding a comfortable lead over Bush, with Perot lagging behind. Few observers are entirely certain that a campaign that has been consistently unpredictable doesn’t hold one or two more surprises. But a Bush comeback at this stage would rank as the most dramatic reversal of fortune in the final hours of a presidential race.

In their final maneuvering, both Bush and Clinton targeted this state for contrasting reasons that underscore the length of the odds facing the President.

The widespread economic uneasiness in Michigan–symbolized by the continuing turmoil of General Motors Corp., which led to a management shake-up Monday–has always made the state an uphill climb for Bush despite its Republican leanings in recent presidential campaigns.

It remains a daunting challenge for the President now: The latest statewide tracking poll for a Detroit TV station, released Monday night, showed Clinton leading with 46%, Bush with 30% and Ross Perot at 16%.

Facing such numbers, Bush might have written off Michigan in a different year to spend his last campaign hours elsewhere. But the President has been forced to pound relentlessly at the state because there appears to be no way he can win the necessary 270 electoral votes without Michigan’s 18.

That reality defines Clinton’s stake in the state. Although Clinton–with his strong base on both coasts–can probably win today without carrying Michigan, he has invested so heavily here precisely because he knows Bush cannot.

“That’s Clinton’s great advantage,” said Democratic strategist Tad Devine. “He can focus on trying to take just one link out of Bush’s chain.”

Clinton’s intense focus on Michigan represents the reversal of a traditional Republican tactic. Because the GOP base in the South and West left Democrats so little room to maneuver in past presidential campaigns, Republicans have typically been able to dictate the battlefield in the election’s final hours.

In past years, the Republicans devoted enormous resources to a single conservative-leaning state–usually Ohio–confident that if they won there, the Democrats could not reach an Electoral College majority.

This year, though, it is Clinton who has the lead and the flexibility to choose where to fight. He has selected Michigan as his version of Ohio.

“That is a pretty fair analogy,” said David Wilhelm, Clinton’s campaign manager. “Michigan is a linchpin to our Electoral College strategy; it is a state that if we win, it destroys almost any chance that Bush will be reelected.”

With the state playing such a central role in the strategies of both candidates, their efforts here have been enormous. “Some of us,” said Don Tucker, the Democratic chairman in populous Oakland County, “have started to think Clinton and Bush are running for President of Michigan.”

When Clinton arrived in Detroit on Monday for a lunchtime airport rally, it marked his third visit to the area in five days and his sixth trip to the state in two weeks.

On Sunday, Bush roused the faithful with a scathing attack on Clinton at a rally in Auburn Hills, just north of here–his third run at the state in eight days.

Last Thursday, voters from around the state were able to ask Bush questions in a televised town meeting from Grand Rapids. The next night Clinton flew to the Detroit suburbs to hold his own televised town meeting.

When Clinton forces made their final buy of television time last week, they estimated they were placing enough commercials on the air so that each Michigan resident would see them 14 times through Election Day.

Bush, both sides figure, is on the air even more heavily–especially with a foreboding spot about Clinton’s record as governor that might be titled “Apocalypse Arkansas.” From both sides, acerbic radio advertisements blare incessantly.

As for Perot, local observers say his ad assault has been less visible than in some other states. But his promises to shake up Washington have won him a strong following.

At one point early last week, Republican polls showed Perot surging over 20% in this state. With most of Perot’s gains coming from Clinton, that tightened the Michigan race considerably.

But, as has happened throughout the country, Perot’s support has slipped here since he accused the White House last week of engineering dirty tricks that forced his withdrawal from the race in July. Initially, the voters deserting Perot disproportionately moved to Bush, but now Clinton is winning his share of those voters and consolidating his lead.

“The President is unlikely to close the gap in Michigan on Election Day,” said GOP pollster Steve Lombardo.

Even with Clinton’s lead in the polls, Democrats here remain edgy. Almost without exception, they are haunted by the memory of 1990, when then-Gov. James J. Blanchard led Republican John Engler by 10 percentage points in the final polls–and then was swept from office by a strong Republican effort to get out their vote, coupled with a poor turnout in Detroit.

Democrats are insistent that won’t happen again. Registration is up in Detroit, and Mayor Coleman A. Young has put his shoulder into the Clinton effort. One local official estimated this weekend that 65% of registered Detroit voters could come to the polls today, compared to just 54% four years ago.

Unions are pushing hard too: The UAW has been distributing to members copies of a Flint newspaper article reporting that Ross Perot owns a Mercedes-Benz and other foreign cars. In Michigan, that’s not much different than burning a flag.

Republican efforts to turn out the vote are just as intense. In Oakland County alone, GOP volunteers made more than 150,000 calls last weekend, said Jim Alexander, the county GOP chairman.

Local observers say religious conservatives and anti-abortion activists are mounting powerful drives; thousands of copies of the Christian Coalition’s voter guide on the presidential candidates were distributed at Bush’s rally in Auburn Hills on Sunday.

Beyond its impact on the Electoral College, voting in Michigan should help answer some of the key questions on which the results will pivot around the nation. Among them:

* Can Clinton reclaim the so-called Reagan Democrats–the blue-collar ethnics who deserted the party during the 1970s and 1980s over taxes, the economy and the perception that Democrats favored minorities?

Stressing such issues as welfare reform and his support for the death penalty, Clinton has aggressively courted voters in Macomb County, a Detroit suburb renowned as the breeding ground of Reagan Democrats.

Republicans have fired back with targeted mailers hitting Clinton on trust and taxes. And Perot could be a formidable competitor in Macomb County and similar neighborhoods for the votes of working-class residents disgusted with Bush and the gridlock in Washington.

* Can Bush hold suburban Republicans and independents who favor abortion rights? Four years ago, he carried the generally affluent Detroit suburb of Oakland County by 109,000 votes. But the hard-right line on social issues at the Republican Convention did not play well there, and Democrats are optimistic that Clinton’s centrist message will allow him to make significant inroads, not only in Oakland County but in similar places in New Jersey, Illinois and Pennsylvania.

* Can Clinton get the high turnout he needs from blacks after a campaign so heavily focused on wooing white swing voters in the suburbs? The answer will affect the result not only here but in other industrial states, such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as Southern battlegrounds like Georgia and Louisiana.

* Will young voters show up today? One reason Clinton’s margin diminished in some national surveys last week is those polls included very few young people among their likely voters–and Clinton, the first baby boomer to top a national ticket, has been running very well with the young.

In 1988, just 36% of eligible voters age 18 to 24 actually turned out. Mike Dolan, field director for Rock the Vote, a nonpartisan national effort to register and turn out young voters, predicts as many as half of them may vote this year.

Such a spike in turnout would be a huge boost for Clinton; in this state, for example, he has courted students at rallies at both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.

One cloud on the Democratic horizon is the possibility of rain today in Michigan and much of the Midwest. Conventional wisdom holds that rain could dampen turnout in Detroit and other urban centers and pinch Clinton’s vote.

But many on both sides believe that interest in this campaign is so high that even rain won’t cool it off. “With all of the attention to the race this year,” Alexander said, “I don’t know if even rain is going to matter.”

Frank has endured a difficult start to life at Tottenham since joining them in June after seven years at Brentford, who he guided from the Championship to the Premier League in 2021.

The Dane’s performance had come under increasing internal scrutiny following a home defeat by Fulham on 29 November which came as part of a run of one win in eight, while sections of Spurs supporters have also voiced frustrations with Frank.

However, the manager insists he retains the backing from the club hierarchy.

“I feel supported. I’ve done that the whole time,” said the 52-year-old.

“This is not a quick fix. This will take time. That’s not to say that we’re not going to do everything we can to beat Liverpool.

“I’m very comfortable and confident that I will, how can I say, fix it, but just to make sure it’s not me. When this club comes out on top, there will be a lot of good people working together, aligned at the same time through the years.

“I just know one thing I’m pretty good at – I’m good at analysing things. I know what good looks like and I know where we should get [to], and… I’m 1,000% sure we haven’t seen any club be successful unless they had key people in the right positions for a long time.

“And I’ll back myself to be one of those key people to be in that position.”

Dec. 19 (UPI) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was determined to continue the war in Ukraine until his conditions are met, which include taking Ukrainian territory.

Putin spoke at his annual press conference and touted Russia’s recent gains in the region.

“The strategic initiative is completely in the hands of the Russian forces,” Putin said. He added that Russia is “ready to end the conflict peacefully” if Ukraine cedes large areas of its eastern territories.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine won’t give up its land, which is set by the country’s constitution.

Russia has also demanded that Ukraine give up its bid to join NATO and said that if NATO members sent troops, Russia would view them as “legitimate targets.”

“The ball is entirely in the court of our Western opponents,” he said, adding that Russia had agreed to compromises proposed by the United States in its peace plan negotiated by the President Donald Trump administration.

Earlier this week, Zelensky was asked if Kyiv would give up its attempts to join NATO. He said Ukraine’s “position remains unchanged.”

“The United States don’t see us in NATO, for now,” he said. “Politicians change.”

European leaders have agreed to continue funding Ukraine in its fight against Russia with a two-year, $105 billion loan for munitions in the ongoing war.

European leaders couldn’t agree on their first choice to arm Ukraine using frozen Russian state assets to back the loan.

The plan to use frozen Russian assets fell apart in the final moments after Belgium pushed back, fearful that it would be at legal and financial risk. The bank holding the assets is in Belgium, and Russia has sued to block the plan.

European leaders announced Thursday that they will instead use money from the EU budget. The new plan could be more costly and difficult to mobilize.

LOVEHOLIDAYS has kicked off its end-of-year sale, with hundreds of pounds of savings on European and long-haul breaks.

The holiday sale runs until midnight on 8th February 2026, so there should be plenty of time to find dates and prices that work for your next trip abroad.

Shop the loveholidays winter sale

Holidaymakers can save up to £300 off selected packages to destinations across Europe, including Spain, Greece and Turkey.

If you want something further afield, the travel agent platform also features deals with up to £850 off selected long-haul destinations, including the Dominican Republic and Las Vegas.

If you’re weighing up a winter sun escape or planning for next year, this is a sensible moment to look, as there are plenty of deals on last-minute winter sun trips and summer 2026 breaks.

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The bonus is that you can secure a loveholidays deal you love with extremely low deposits from £19 per person.

Booking is flexible, and you can also use pay-monthly plans to spread the cost.

Early in a sale, you’ll usually get better room and flight options, and prices can shift as availability changes.

TOP 10 DEALS IN THE LOVEHOLIDAYS SALE

Don’t miss out on these fantastic travel deals in the loveholidays winter sale…

1. Algarve, Portugal: 7 nights at Plaza Real Atlantic Hotels from East Midlands, from £119pp in February 2026 – book here
2. Agadir, Morocco: 7 nights at Appart Hotel Igoudar from London Gatwick, from £149pp in March 2026 – book here
3. Florida, USA: 7 nights at Generator Miami, flying from London Gatwick, from £609pp in September 2026 – book here
4. Pattaya City, Thailand: 7 nights at Jomtien Palm Beach Hotel And Resort, flying from London Gatwick, from £659pp in June 2026 – book here
5. Majorca, Balearic Islands: 7 nights at INNER Hotel Rupit – Adults Only flying from Birmingham, from £249pp in March 2026 – book here
6. Andalucia, Spain: 7 nights at Hotel Granada by Pierre & Vacances, from London Gatwick, from £289pp in June 2026 – book here
7. Dalaman, Turkey: 7 nights at Belcehan Hotel, from London Stansted, from £389pp in July 2026 – book here
8. Crete, Greek Islands: 7 nights at Folia Apartments, from London Luton, from £419pp in August 2026 – book here
9. Florida, USA: 7 nights at Holiday Inn Resort Orlando – Lake Buena Vista by IHG, from London Gatwick, from £519pp in January 2026 – book here
10. Dubai, UAE: 7 nights at Hotel Local Dubai, Jumeirah Village Triangle, Autograph Collection, from London Stansted, from £559pp in June 2026 – book here

All loveholidays package bookings are ATOL protected for added peace of mind.

There’s also a Best Price Promise if you find the same holiday at a lower price elsewhere.

If you do spot your deal for less, loveholidays says it will refund the difference and add an extra £5 per person.

MAISIE Williams stripped down to nothing in a new post this week as she shared snaps of her bare body while skinny dipping with pals.

The Game Of Thrones star, 28, can be seen walking into the sea fully nude in a video clip taken from behind during a trip to Sardinia, Italy.

Joined by a group of friends, the trio all posed naked for pictures in the stunning blue sea before jumping off a nearby cliff into the water.

A far cry from Winterfell, and the crisp UK weather, Maisie shared a slew of pictures of the beautiful Italian surroundings.

She captioned the post: “Summer is so over but life is still happening in a big way x”

In the comment section, fans were quick to leave plenty of Game Of Thrones references.

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“So winter is no longer coming?” said one follower as they joked about Maisie’s lack of clothes.

Another said: “Did I just get flashed by Arya Stark”.

Maisie is known for portraying Arya in Game Of Thrones, a role she finished up in 2018.

While the popular series may not be returning, Maisie recently teased a new project with the show’s creator George R.R. Martin.

The author shared a post earlier this year which detailed how he met up with Maisie over the summer.

He said: “We also got together with Maisie Williams for pizza and pasta, and talked about… well, no, better not get into that, do not want to jinx it. But it could be so much fun.”

Maisie is yet to speak out on any potential collabs with her former colleagues.

She has appeared in a number of TV shows since GOT, including portraying Second World War resistance fighter Ginette “Catherine” Dior in The New Look.

While she also starred in Danny Boyle’s Sex Pistols series, Pistol.

The six-parter is based on guitarist Steve Jones’ 2018 memoir, Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol.

Judith Hartmann, taking over as Bayer’s CFO next June, is a skilled mountaineer. Earlier this year, she climbed Aconcagua, a 22,838-foot peak in Argentina; it taught her “perseverance, adaptability and the power of belief in oneself,” she says.

Bayer’s board is counting on it.

Hartmann will succeed Wolfgang Nickl as CFO. The pharmaceutical and agricultural giant announced her appointment in November to follow Nickl’s retirement in May. Hartmann will join the Bayer board in March.

She will be tackling a tough role at Bayer; the German multinational is burdened with high debt—over €32 billion at the end of last year—and faces litigation risks over its Roundup herbicide. Last but not least, it is restructuring to eliminate layers of management.

The Roundup litigation stems from Bayer’s acquisition of Monsanto in 2018. The plaintiffs allege that Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide, causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Bayer lawyers deny any link to cancer, but years after the Monsanto purchase, the legal nightmare persists. The company faces 65,000 potentially pricey, unresolved claims. In March, a plaintiff in Georgia was awarded $2.1 billion; Bayer said at the time that it would appeal.

Hartmann, 55, is much traveled. She joins Bayer from US-based Sandbrook Capital, but previously worked at French energy company Engie—including as interim co-CEO—German media giant Bertelsmann, GE, and Disney, holding top positions “in seven countries across three continents,” as she says on LinkedIn.

An alumnus of Vienna University of Economics and Business, the future head of finance speaks German, English, and French; Norbert Winkeljohann, chair of Bayer’s supervisory board, highlights her “vast international experience.”