BUDGET airlines are rarely charging their lowest advertised baggage fees, a new study has revealed.

Consumer group Which? analysed the cost of travelling with a cabin bag designed to fit in an overhead locker on a total of nearly 1,500 easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air flights.

These were spread across eight popular routes for each airline, and included peak and off-peak dates.

EasyJet’s website states it charges “from £5.99” for a cabin bag, but Which? said it found no price that low among the 520 flights it checked.

The cheapest price found was £23.49, and the average was £30.

Analysis of Ryanair found its lowest advertised cabin bag rate of £12 was only available for two out of 634 flights.

And Wizz Air’s lowest stated cabin bag price at the time of the research was €15 (£13.11), but that cost was only found twice across 338 flights.

The average fees found for Ryanair and Wizz Air were £20.50 and £28.93 respectively.

Which? said it handed its findings to regulator the Advertising Standards Authority as they “deserved to be called out”.

Travelling with a bag only in the overhead lockers is “likely to be considered an essential by many passengers,” they added.

It claimed airlines’ “failure to provide transparent fees” means consumers “don’t know what they are paying” until they have gone through multiple stages of the booking process.

Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said: “Our research shows that the tens of millions of passengers who need to take a cabin bag will pay much more than the cheapest price advertised.

“Rather than a few pounds, prices for bags can often be more than the flight itself.

“The tactics used by these airlines deserve to be called out.

“That’s why we have shared our findings with the regulator.”

A spokesperson for easyJet said its bag options and pricing are “transparent and well understood by our customers”.

It added that they allow passengers to “pay for only what they want”.

Ryanair said in a statement that the number of flights analysed was “too small to be representative or accurate”, adding that its cabin bag prices are “transparent and optional”.

A Wizz Air spokesperson said its prices “vary by route, season and demand”, and insisted it is “fully compliant with consumer protection laws”.

In August, Ryanair said it planned to raise bonuses for staff who spot passengers attempting to take oversized bags on flights, from €1.50 (£1.31) to €2.50 (£2.18) per bag.

At the time, the airline’s chief executive Michael O’Leary said he made “absolutely no apology” for catching people “scamming the system”.

Airlines are now offering “bundled fees” to make extra money.

And here are some of our tip tricks to avoiding luggage fees as well as seat fees.

President Trump admitted Tuesday that he used the slur “shithole countries” to disparage Haiti and African nations during a 2018 meeting with lawmakers, bragging about a comment that sparked global outrage during his first term.

Back then, Trump had denied making the contemptuous statement during a closed-door meeting, but on Tuesday, he showed little compunction reliving it during a rally in Pennsylvania. He went on to further disparage Somalia as “filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime.”

Trump was boasting in his speech that he had last week “announced a permanent pause on Third World migration, including from hellholes like Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia and many other countries,” when someone in the crowd yelled out the 2018 remark.

That prompted him to recall the 2018 incident. His telling hewed closely to the description offered at the time by people who were briefed on the Oval Office meeting.

“We had a meeting and I said, ‘Why is it we only take people from shithole countries,’ right? ‘Why can’t we have some people from Norway, Sweden?’” Trump told rallygoers.

“But we always take people from Somalia,” he continued. “Places that are a disaster. Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime.”

The White House at the time did not deny Trump’s remarks, but the president posted on Twitter the day after the news broke that “this was not the language I used.” He added that he “never said anything derogatory about Haitians.”

Back in 2018, Trump’s comments denigrating predominantly Black nations while seeking more migration from predominantly white countries were widely denounced as racist. Some congressional Republicans condemned the comments, and foreign leaders were outraged. Botswana’s government summoned the U.S. ambassador, and Senegal’s president at the time, Macky Sall, said he was shocked, noting, “Africa and the Black race merit the respect and consideration of all.”

But since then, Trump has pushed past many norms and traditions of decorum that had guided his predecessors, both in his first term and in the years since. He often peppers his public remarks with curse words, and this year has dropped the F-bomb as cameras were rolling — on two separate occasions.

On Thanksgiving, in a pair of lengthy posts on social media complaining about immigrants, he demeaned Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, using a dated slur for intellectually disabled people. Asked by a reporter if he stood by a comment that many Americans find offensive, Trump was unrepentant. “Yeah. I think there’s something wrong with him,” he said.

Cooper writes for the Associated Press.

Champions League pundit Rory Smith looks at the future of Real Madrid’s Xabi Alonso following their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League, which leaves the Spanish club on a run of two wins from their last eight games.

WATCH MORE: Man City beat Real Madrid to pile pressure on Alonso

Storm Byron is threatening to heap new miseries on Palestinians in Gaza, with families making distress calls from flooded tents and hundreds of others fleeing their shelters in search of dry ground as the fierce winter storm lashes heavy rains on the besieged territory.

Officials warned Wednesday that the storm was forecast to bring flash floods, strong winds and hail until Friday, conditions expected to wreak havoc in a territory in the grip of a humanitarian crisis, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people live in tents, temporary structures, or damaged buildings after two years of Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

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Humanitarian workers said Israeli restrictions on the entry of tents, tools to repair water and sewage systems have left Gaza poorly equipped to respond to the storm, and called on the international community to pressure the Netanyahu government to urgently allow in supplies.

In the southern city of Rafah, the Palestinian Civil Defence said its teams had already received distress calls from displacement camps, with families reporting “flooded tents and families trapped inside by heavy rains”.

“Despite limited resources and a lack of necessary equipment, our teams are working tirelessly to reach those in need and provide assistance,” the rescue agency said on Telegram.

Footage posted on social media and verified by Al Jazeera showed Palestinians shovelling a ditch around tents in a desperate attempt to create barriers that would prevent them from flooding.

Displacement camps at risk

Nearly 850,000 people sheltering in 761 displacement sites face the highest risk of flooding, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Flooding has previously been recorded at more than 200 of the highest-risk sites, affecting more than 140,000 people, the office said.

Previous storms had contaminated displacement sites with sewage and solid waste, swept away families’ tents and driven them out of makeshift shelters.

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said that UN  agencies and local authorities were warning that any significant rainfall could have devastating consequences for Gaza’s population, with the displacement camps built on barren, open terrain that would be highly susceptible to flooding.

The tents available to people were typically flimsy, unreinforced and often torn, he said, offering negligible protection from heavy rains, which were likely to seriously damage whatever possessions families had left.

Risk of water contamination, disease

Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs network, said Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid and equipment had left Gaza ill-equipped to deal with the storm.

He said only 40,000 tents, out of a needed 300,000, had been allowed in, while tools that would likely be needed to repair sewage systems and water networks were also restricted.

Flooding would bring a serious risk of sewage and solid waste contaminating drinking water or food supplies, raising the risk of diseases in the densely populated Strip, where 2.2 million people are crammed into just 43 percent of the territory, while the remaining 57 percent remains under Israeli military control.

“If Israel were to allow the entrance of supplies, things would be different. But for now, it has done all it can to make life more complicated for Palestinians,” Shawa said.

Oxfam humanitarian response adviser Chris McIntosh agreed, telling Al Jazeera that the people of Gaza were bracing for a “very tragic situation”.

“Persistent bureaucracy prevented us from bringing in adequate dwellings for people in Gaza,” McIntosh said. “The Israelis have not permitted tents to enter Gaza for many months. The only thing they’re allowing at this point is some tarpaulin, which isn’t going to do much for people who need proper shelter.”

He said Palestinians were being forced to live in “deplorable conditions”, with well more than 50 percent of the population living in tents.

He anticipated many would attempt to find dry ground inside bombed-out buildings that were at heightened risk of collapse amid the forecast heavy rains and winds.

Families flee flooding risk

Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, warned that vulnerable groups, including newborn children, are at particular risk from the incoming winter storm.

About 200 families were expected to arrive at a new displacement site in eastern Khan Younis in the south of the Strip, fleeing a heightened risk of flooding in their present location, he said.

“These households made the decision to move given the impact of the frequent rains and the risk of flooding,” he said.

Ismail al-Thawabta, director of Gaza’s Government Media Office, told Al Jazeera that about 288,000 Palestinian families were without shelter as Storm Byron bore down on the enclave, and issued a call to the international community to pressure Israel to allow in supplies to help respond to the storm.

“We are issuing an urgent appeal to the world, [United States] President Trump and the [United Nations] Security Council to pressure the Israeli occupation,” he said.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, condemned global inaction as families in Gaza braced for the storm.

“Palestinians in Gaza are literally left alone, freezing and starving in the winter storm,” she posted on X.

“I keep asking how we became such monsters, [i]ncapable of stopping this nightmare.”

This Christmas Eve, slide into one of the wooden booths at chef-owner Keith Corbin’s sunlit restaurant in West Adams or order the restaurant’s signature California soul plates to complete your holiday spread at home. The regular menu with black-eyed pea fritters, smoked chicken and sausage gumbo and fried chicken with house-made Fresno hot sauce will be available for dine-in alongside the full beverage menu, with a wine list that highlights BIPOC and women producers, and cocktails including a creative limoncello martini. For those who prefer to enjoy the soulful spread at home, choices include smoked honey butter ham and house-smoked brisket with smoked apple barbecue sauce as mains; sides like cornbread bites, mac and cheese and brown-buttered candied yams; and banana pudding and brown-butter chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Catering orders must be placed online by Dec. 21 and will be available for pickup or delivery on Christmas Eve. Last-minute Christmas Eve takeout orders can also be placed via GrubHub. Adams Wine Shop, the restaurant’s neighboring bottle shop, will be open on Christmas Eve for those who need a last-minute host gift, with mulled wine kits available for purchase.

Due to the ongoing advance of M23/AFC rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), scores of displaced people have crossed into Bujumbura, the capital city of Burundi, on Dec. 9.

Burundi is facing a major surge in refugees as families escape ongoing conflict. The unexpected influx, which includes individuals with ties to armed groups, has raised fears of a security and humanitarian crisis in the country. The chaotic situation at the South Kivu border sees both civilians and armed personnel caught up in the turmoil.

Refugees from Luvungi, Katogota, Bwegera, Luberizi, Mutarule, and Sange of the DRC crossed the border en masse at the Kaburantwa bridge under construction, on the 6th avenue in the Buganda zone of Bukinanyana district. According to local Burundian media, the rout of armed groups and regular forces allowed armed fighters to blend into the crowd.

On Dec. 8, joint operations conducted by Burundian soldiers, Congolese Wazalendo militias, and Rwandan rebels resulted in the seizure of weapons and uniforms, and the arrest of men suspected of being infiltrated fighters. These operations took place in Kansega, in the border area of ​​Ndava, Bukinanyana district.

Burundi has also accused the M23 rebels of conducting a bombing attack within its territory, signalling an increase in regional tensions, despite several peace agreements. The militant actions by the rebels continue despite the ratification of the Washington peace accord signed between DR Congo, the M23/AFC rebels, and Rwanda under the Trump administration.

Despite facing strong resistance from the DR Congo national army, the M23/AFC rebels, with support from Rwanda, continue to advance on the ground toward the capture of the city of Uvira in South Kivu, which has become the province’s provisional capital.

The two main parties involved in the conflict in the eastern Congo, the Kinshasa government and the M23/AFC rebels, previously signed a framework agreement. This agreement aimed to initiate new discussions on the underlying causes of the conflict and, eventually, to reach a comprehensive peace accord to restore normalcy in North Kivu and South Kivu. 

Despite multiple meetings with the mediator and several signed documents, including mechanisms for prisoner exchange and cease-fire verification, the measures have not yet been implemented. 

Kinshasa officials accuse Kigali of continuing to support M23/AFC rebels, violating the Washington Accords.

A’ja Wilson is i’nevitable.

Following a historic championship season, the WNBA All-Star was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year on Wednesday. It’s the latest accolade acknowledging Wilson’s unprecedented year that saw her named the league’s most valuable player for a record fourth time, as well as co-defensive player of the year and finals MVP.

“It’s an honor when you think about the group of women who have won before,” Wilson said to the AP. “Just to have my name be a part of it, I’m blessed.”

The Las Vegas Aces forward, who led her team to its third championship in four years, is just the fifth basketball player to be recognized for the award following Sheryl Swoopes (1993), Rebecca Lobo (1995), Candace Parker (2008, 2021) and Caitlin Clark (2024).

Wilson is the first player in WNBA or NBA history to win the championship; be named Finals MVP, league MVP and DPOY; and claim the scoring title in the same season. In June, she also became the fastest player to ever reach the 5,000-point milestone in the league.

To celebrate collecting an array of on-court achievements this season, Wilson donned a replica of Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet during the Aces’ victory parade in October. Under each of the golden glove’s six Infinity Stones — which took the iconic Marvel Cinematic Universe villain an entire 23-film saga to collect and unleash — Wilson reportedly wrote down a different season honor.

“When you’ve collected everything, that’s Thanos,” Wilson said to Time, which named her the outlet’s Athlete of the Year on Tuesday. “And this year, I collected everything. I don’t really talk much [s—]. … I kind of let my game do it. This was my biggest moment of doing it, because no one’s ever done what I’ve done. And I think people really needed to understand that.”

It appears Wilson will need to procure another gauntlet just to commemorate her numerous accomplishments off of the basketball court as well. In February, the former Gamecock standout saw her alma mater South Carolina hang her college jersey in the rafters. In May, the two-time Olympic gold medalist saw the first batch of her Nike signature shoe sell out in a day. The bestselling author was also recently revealed as a member of the 2026 Met Gala’s host committee.

In addition to being the WNBA’s only four-time MVP and a three-time champion, Wilson is a two-time Finals MVP, a three-time DPOY and a seven-time All Star. And she’s just getting started.

“I’m just going to continue to prove why I’m one of the greatest and why my team is part of a dynamic dynasty,” Wilson told the AP.

Mega billionaire Elon Musk, in a friendly interview with his aide and conservative influencer Katie Miller, said his efforts leading the Department of Government Efficiency were only “somewhat successful” and he would not do it over again.

The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive, who also owns the social media platform X, still broadly defended President Trump’s controversial pop-up agency that Musk left in the spring before it shuttered officially last month. Yet Musk bemoaned how difficult it is to remake the federal government quickly, and he acknowledged how much his businesses suffered because of his DOGE work and its lack of popularity.

“We were a little bit successful. We were somewhat successful,” he told Miller, who once worked as a DOGE spokeswoman charged with selling the agency’s work to the public.

When Miller pressed Musk on whether he would do it all over again, he said: “I don’t think so. … Instead of doing DOGE, I would have, basically … worked on my companies.”

Almost wistfully, Musk added, “They wouldn’t have been burning the cars” — a reference to consumer protests against Tesla.

Still, things certainly have turned up for Musk since his departure from Trump’s administration. Tesla shareholders approved a pay package that could make Musk the world’s first trillionaire.

Musk was speaking as a guest on the “Katie Miller Podcast,” which Miller, who is married to top Trump advisor Stephen Miller, launched after leaving government employment to work for Musk in the private sector. The two sat in chairs facing each other for a conversation that lasted more than 50 minutes and spanned topics from DOGE to Musk’s thoughts on AI, social media, conspiracy theories and fashion.

Miller did not press Musk on the inner workings of DOGE and the controversial manner in which it took over federal agencies and data systems.

Musk credited the agency with saving as much as $200 billion annually in “zombie payments” that he said can be avoided with better automated systems and coding for federal payouts. But that number is dwarfed by Musk’s ambitious promises at one time that an efficiency commission could measure savings in the trillions.

Barrow writes for the Associated Press.

ORLANDO, Fla. — As the hotel lobby at the Signia by Hilton Orlando filled at MLB’s winter meetings on Tuesday morning, an unexpected prize was falling into the Dodgers’ lap.

Edwin Díaz, the top reliever on this year’s free-agent market, was suddenly slipping away from the incumbent New York Mets, who reportedly made the fan favorite closer only a three-year offer that did little to entice him to re-sign with the team.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, were swooping in late to snatch away the hard-throwing right-hander, submitting a more lucrative three-year bid that would pay Díaz a relief-pitcher-record $23 million per season.

Just like that, the Dodgers had gone from a perfectly content, but unremarkably quiet winter, to one in which they’d once again flexed their financial muscles and stunned the baseball industry.

“There were a lot of scenarios [that could have potentially played out this winter] where we didn’t necessarily end up with a top-end reliever,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Tuesday night, while declining to comment on Díaz directly since the transaction wasn’t finalized. “But we just kind of prepared on a bunch of different fronts. And being aggressive, if something lined up, we’ve known all along [it is something we would do].”

The Díaz signing was an affirmation of the team’s operating procedure on the free-agent market. They always at least target top talent. They always at least stay around the proverbial blackboard, as Friedman calls it, in case a player’s market doesn’t develop as expected. And now, they are armed with the kind of endless resources that can make them a threat to scoop up any rebound.

As they leave Orlando this week and embark on the rest of this offseason, it serves as a reminder:

The Dodgers might not need to make another big move, in the same way they downplayed the need for any big acquisition coming into the winter.

But they’ll certainly be ready to pounce if another opportunity materializes.

“I would say we definitely can,” Friedman hinted when asked if another big move this offseason could be possible. “Whether that makes the most sense within the timing of our roster — there’s so many factors that go into it, and any decision you make has a future cost. It’s just weighing that. So, yes, we can. How likely it is, is probably another question.”

Start with the top overall available free agent, Kyle Tucker.

The Dodgers are not expected to entertain a long-term contract for the soon-to-be 29-year-old and four-time All-Star. If his bidding war, as projected, results in offers upwards of 8-10 years and $400 million, the club is unlikely to engage; given the glut of long-term contracts already on their books, and the crop of young outfield prospects expected to reach the majors in the next several seasons.

But what if Tucker’s market cools? What if, like Díaz, he is left to consider relatively shorter-term deals with higher annual salaries? Granted, that’s unlikely to happen, considering the wide interest Tucker is reportedly attracting, including from the Toronto Blue Jays and their suddenly big-spending front office. If it does, however, the Dodgers could once again become candidates for a blockbuster, still needing to fill out their outfield as they embark on a quest for a World Series three-peat.

The same dynamic could be in play with other top free agents. The Dodgers have already shown interest in familiar face Cody Bellinger, who could bring both positional versatility and a more refined hitting approach than he had during his first stint with the club. Bo Bichette also presents the kind of balanced offensive profile the Dodgers are believed to seeking, as they try to shore up a lineup that too often was boom-or-bust last year.

Like Tucker, both players are unlikely to fit the Dodgers’ bigger-picture plans if their free agencies develop as expected (with Bellinger pegged for roughly five years and $150 million, and Bichette perhaps eight years and more than $200 million).

But thanks to the team’s flush financial outlook — and the fact that a salary cap could be coming next year, potentially incentivizing extra spending right now — all it could take is a slight cooling in either player’s market to make them more realistic targets for the two-time defending champions.

As long as there isn’t an overburdensome long-term risk, the Dodgers don’t seem afraid of lucrative shorter-term commitments to sustain their newly cemented dynasty.

“We have not only a really talented group of players, but an extremely driven group of players, who want to take care of their legacy and create a dynasty and be part of something really special,” Friedman said. “Because of that mindset, it makes it easier to invest. And do everything we can to help support that and be a part of helping bring that to fruition.”

The Dodgers could alternatively get aggressive on the trade market. Brandon Donovan and Lars Nootbaar of the St. Louis Cardinals are seen internally as fits. Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians would be an even bigger-name addition, albeit is less likely to be dealt this winter.

Then there is the real white whale: Two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.

For now, it’s uncertain at best that Skubal, who will be a free agent after next season and is unlikely to sign a contract extension with the Tigers (or any other team that trades for him) before then, gets moved this winter.

If he does, it figures to come at an extremely steep cost for a starting pitcher with one year remaining of team control.

If there’s any team that has the ammunition to pull it off, however, it’s the Dodgers, with their ample pitching depth and top-ranked farm system. Like with their free-agent pursuits, there is likely to be a limit for how much they’d part with. But if the Tigers seriously consider a trade, it would be no surprise to see the Dodgers be seriously involved.

There are less splashy routes for this offseason to go down, of course. If the Dodgers don’t make another marquee addition, they still feel confident with the roster core they have in place.

Then again, that’s the tone they were striking coming into these Winter Meetings, before swiping away Díaz in the surprise move of the week.

Thus, the baseball world has been put on alert again: The Dodgers won’t be reckless. They want to maintain longer-term flexibility. But if they see value in a top-talent target in the short-term, they won’t be afraid to once again spend big.

Dec. 10 (UPI) — Gregg Phillips has been selected for a leadership position in the Federal Emergency Management Administration, though he hasn’t managed emergencies at the state or federal level and has been critical of the agency.

Philipps, 65, is best known for claiming millions of noncitizens voted in the 2016 election.

Phillips will lead the Office of Response and Recovery, which is FEMA’s largest division, as first reported by The Handbasket. The position doesn’t need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Karen Evan, FEMA’s newly appointed interim leader, also doesn’t have major management experience. She replaced David Richardson, who resigned as FEMA’s acting administrator on Nov. 17 after being appointed on May 8, and also didn’t have emergency experience.

Phillips will be “joining the FEMA leadership team, bringing experience in emergency and humanitarian response, state government operations, and large-scale program reform,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, wrote in an email to The Hill.

In a LinkedIn post last year, he wrote: “I have been a very vocal opponent of FEMA” and believes that the agency has failed people in need.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency oversees FEMA, has said there is a need to “eliminate FEMA as it exists today.”

Since January, the number of active FEMA employees has decreased by approximately 2,500 from around 25,800.

The FEMA’ Fiscal Year 2025 budget is approximately $59.2 billion, which includes annual appropriations and supplemental funding for the Disaster Relief Fund. The initial budget request was $27.9 billion.

Phill will “support FEMA leadership as the agency advances reforms aligned with the direction set by President Trump and Secretary Noem, focused on clarifying federal responsibilities, strengthening coordination with states, and improving accountability in disaster operations,” the spoekspereson said.

The office recommends to FEMA’s administrator whether a disaster should be declared. They distribute manufactured housing after disasters, assist communities after disasters or terrorism, provide disaster response and ensure FEMA’s field operations are timely and effective.

A longtime, unnamed FEMA official told The Washington Post: “You want that person to have deep technical knowledge to say ‘This is why this should get declared [a disaster] and why this shouldn’t.’ So the administrator can look and say ‘yep, that makes total sense, let’s send this to the White House.’ ”

He led the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and was deputy Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Phillips’ work was

He was accused of ethical misconduct in funneling contracts to his private companies.

Elections denial

Phillips has been an ardent supporter of Donald Trump.

After the 2016 election, Phillips claimed that mass voter fraud had denied Trump the popular votes against Hillary Clinton.

He said his Texas-based nonprofit, True the Vote, gathered data showing that 3 million “noncitizens.”

Trump later posted the information on Twtter, which is now X, writing: In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.”

Phillips didn’t produce evidence about his claim and later disputed Joe Biden won the 2020 election.

In 2022, Phillips and True the Vote’s president were jailed because they defied a court order to turn over information backing their allegations that an election software company helped Biden win.

He was also featured in the discredited film 2000 Mules in 2022 about 2020 election fraud.

The TWZ Newsletter

Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that his country has begun using homegrown Sapsan (which means peregrine falcon) ballistic missiles in combat against Russia. While the claim may be disinformation, such a weapon would give Ukraine a highly valuable new standoff strike option, unlike any other in its inventory. It would also not be subject to any foreign restrictions on its use, as it continues to be the case with many longer-ranged weapons supplied by the United States and other Western partners.

Ukraine’s Sapsan ballistic missile is now in combat, Zelenskyy confirms. Russians often mistake strikes for cruise missiles

480-kg warhead — more than double ATACMS. Speed: 5.2 Mach. Expert verdict: “There’s no way they can intercept it” ⤵️

🔗 https://t.co/QE3tKU0Ioy pic.twitter.com/YhOQGJBcBH

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) December 10, 2025

“Ukraine is already using the Neptune, the long-range Neptune, the Palyanytsya, the Flamingo. And also, the Sapsan, I’ll be honest — we’ve begun using it,” Zelensky told journalists. The Ukrainian president added that he would not disclose how many of these weapons have been deployed, or what they targeted.

“Because for now we don’t want the enemy to know all the precedents and all the details,” Zelensky added.

As well as the Sapsan, Zelensky referred to four domestically produced weapons that we already knew had been used operationally. These are the land-attack version of the Neptune anti-ship cruise missile, the extended-range version of the same weapon, known as the Long Neptune, the Palyanytsya jet-powered missile/drone hybrid, and the very long-range Flamingo cruise missile.

President Zelensky showed the Palianytsia drone missile, which was first revealed yesterday.

All of its specifications are classified. What is known from the information in the video:

▪️ “Palianytsia” has a turbojet engine;
▪️ is launched from a ground platform;
▪️ the… pic.twitter.com/GyIEVFw52Q

— Slava 🇺🇦 (@Heroiam_Slava) August 25, 2024

It’s clear, too, that Zelensky wants to promote confusion among Russian authorities as to which of these weapons are being used in any given strike.

“There are many cases when our enemy believes a strike was carried out with a Neptune… And let them continue thinking that,” he added.

With that in mind, we should also consider the possibility that the Sapsan has not actually been used in combat. So far, there doesn’t seem to be any confirmed evidence of wreckage from impact sites in Russia, although the Russian Ministry of Defense has previously claimed that it successfully shot down examples of Ukrainian ballistic missiles over Crimea.

On the other hand, using the Sapsan in combat would certainly make sense, given Ukraine’s extensive efforts to ramp up domestic arms production, with a particular focus on the ability to hit targets deeper inside Russia.

As well as the aforementioned long-range missiles, Ukraine has also made use of an extensive array of domestically produced long-range kamikaze drones, as well as other munitions that blur the line between those weapons and traditional cruise missiles, like the Peklo ‘missile drone’.

As for Ukraine’s domestic ballistic missile program, the results remain much less clear, but we have been waiting to see a weapon of this kind deployed for a long time now. Perhaps, its development has also been accelerated by help from Western partners.

In August of 2024, Zelensky announced the first successful test of a new domestically developed ballistic missile, now understood to be the Sapsan.

Ukraine conducted the first sucessful test of a domestic-produced ballistic missile, Ukrainian President Zelensky announced on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/Z4t675mQ27

— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) August 27, 2024

While details of the Sapsan remain scarce, the missile is closely related to the Hrim-2 (also written Grim-2 and which translates as Thunder-2 in English).

In fact, the Hrim-2 was developed as an export version of the original Sapsan, which had been intended for Ukrainian use.

The origins of the Hrim-2 and its immediate predecessors date back to the late 2000s, with development apparently accelerated after Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. A rocket motor test associated with the design occurred in 2018, and the two-round, 10-wheeled transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) for the missile, or at least a mockup, appeared at a parade that same year.

You can read more about what is known about the Hrim-2 and its development in this past War Zone piece, which followed speculation that Ukraine might have employed some of those missiles in an attack on Russia’s Saki Air Base in 2022.

While we don’t know what the Sapsan missile looks like, it is likely broadly similar to what we’ve seen of the Hrim-2 and preceding related designs, which, in turn, bear a superficial resemblance to Russia’s Iskander-M.

In terms of performance, the Hrim-2 reportedly has a range of at least 174 miles (280 kilometers) and possibly up to 310 miles (500 kilometers), and the same could well hold true for the Sapsan.

On the other hand, in 2023, Ukraine’s then-Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov also said that the country had a new long-range missile in development that could have a range of up to 620 miles (1,000 kilometers). This could also have been a direct reference to the Sapsan.

Regardless, it would seem highly likely that the Sapsan is in the category of short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM), which are traditionally defined as having maximum ranges of no more than 620 miles (1,000 kilometers).

Since the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has had only limited access to ballistic missiles, and none of these have come from domestic production.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been employing Soviet-era Tochka-U SRBMs, as well as even older Tochka types, both of which have the NATO reporting name SS-21 Scarab. These only have maximum ranges of 43 miles (70 kilometers) and 75 miles (120 kilometers), respectively, a fact that spurred the original development of the Sapsan/Hrim-2.

Точка-У: как ракетные удары ВСУ останавливают армию России в Украине | Донбасс Реалии

Furthermore, Ukraine has been receiving small numbers of ATACMS from the United States, which it has used to good effect.

Details from missile debris shown by Russia confirm Ukraine launched ATACMS at Voronezh region on November 18, marking the first use of U.S.-made missiles on Russian territory during Trump’s presidency. According to the Russian MoD, S-400 and Pantsir-S1 systems helped repel the… pic.twitter.com/8SeQCo9OEO

— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) November 19, 2025

However, in common with additional types of ground and air-launched standoff munitions supplied to Ukraine by the U.S. government and other foreign partners, there are strict limitations imposed on the use of those weapons on targets deeper inside Russia.

Putting all this together, the utility of a ballistic missile of domestic production becomes very clear, as part of a multi-pronged effort to strike key targets outside of Ukraine’s borders (as well as further beyond the front lines, in Russian-controlled territory).

As we have noted in the past, a new source of ballistic missiles that are more capable and longer ranged than the Tochka family, and that are not subject to any Western restrictions like ATACMS, would be a key breakthrough for Ukraine.

A battery of three Ukrainian Tochka-U SRBMs fly off towards their Russian targets, as a Ukrainian soldier with a Stinger MANPADS keeps watch for enemy drones…🔥🇺🇦 https://t.co/68LnGr0W06

— Jimmy Rushton (@JimmySecUK) June 23, 2022

While long-range drones, cruise missiles, and drone/missile hybrids are valuable, ballistic missiles offer the advantage of very high speeds in the terminal phase of flight. This makes them much harder for enemy air and missile defenses to defeat. Ballistic missiles with unitary high-explosive warheads can also burrow down deeper into hardened targets or impart greater force on reinforced structures above ground, like bridges, thanks to that speed.

While we don’t know how Ukraine has employed Sapsan so far, provided that it has, a likely scenario would see the ballistic missiles combined with other types of missiles and drones in complex attacks to make it even harder for enemy forces to deal with. This would follow the same pattern that Russia routinely uses in large-scale attacks on Ukrainian targets.

If Ukraine is able to produce the Sapsan in meaningful numbers, and provided that it works to its full potential, the results could be significant, if it’s anything like the precedent set by Ukraine’s employment of American ATACMS.

Seems like 🇺🇦did another ATACMS strike near Kuban, Luhansk.

Action starts at 03:50. A dud and 3 hits within a minute. pic.twitter.com/aGP4cWKY07

— JB Schneider (@JohnB_Schneider) May 1, 2024

Even with the restrictions imposed by the U.S. government, Ukrainian ATACMS strikes have led to major changes in Russian operating procedures, especially at airbases within range of those missiles. It has also forced Russia to move additional air and missile defenses to the theater, including the S-500, the most advanced surface-to-air missile system in the country’s inventory today.

At this point, we still need to await independent verification of the Sapsan ballistic missile being used in combat. However, the value of such a weapon for the Ukrainian military is unquestionable, providing a powerful new vector for launching standoff strikes into Russia without any foreign restrictions. Provided it is being used operationally, we likely won’t have to wait too much longer for positive confirmation of this.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

Walker Scobell opens up about the dangerous chariot sequence that left him stunned as Percy Jackson season 2 premieres on Disney Plus

A star from Percy Jackson and the Olympians has revealed details of a “crazy and terrifying” stunt filmed for the second season.

The newest chapter of the Disney Plus series has arrived on the streaming service, with the opening two episodes now available. Viewers will need to tune in weekly as Percy and his companions embark on a fresh quest into unexplored territory.

This season adapts the second novel in Rick Riordan’s hugely popular book series, the Sea of Monsters, with Disney Plus promising “action packed mayhem and higher stakes than ever”.

The streaming giant reveals: “After Camp Half-Blood’s protective border is breached, Percy Jackson embarks on an epic odyssey into the Sea of Monsters in search of his best friend Grover and the one thing that may save the camp – the legendary Golden Fleece.

“With help from Annabeth, Clarisse and his newfound cyclops half-brother Tyson, Percy’s survival becomes essential to stopping Luke, the Titan Kronos, and their impending plan to bring down Camp Half-Blood – and ultimately, Olympus.”, reports the Express.

Despite only two episodes being released, there’s already been plenty of thrilling moments for audiences – with one sequence leaving the cast particularly impressed.

Viewers will remember scenes featuring chariot racing, an ancient mode of transportation and competitive sport that involves controlling a two-wheeled vehicle drawn by horses.

Leading star Walker Scobell, portraying Percy Jackson, has spoken candidly about the chariot sequences and the “crazy” and perilous nature of filming them.

Walker revealed: “So on the first day of filming I didn’t know I was going to do any chariot riding, right? Because it’s so dangerous: I got to watch some test footage of them going out and messing around out there before we were filming and it looked terrifying.

“I was like, ‘Okay, I’m not doing that.’ But I get there on the day and they’re like, ‘Hop in! Just kind of drive the chariot around the second part of this oval stadium and then park right in between these two horses…’ So, I had to learn right there. It was crazy.”

For Leah Jeffries, who portrays Annabeth Chase, the chariot sequences proved equally memorable, describing it as “one of my most fun days.”

Executive producer Jonathan Steinberg acknowledged the ambitious nature of the scene, explaining it was among the elements he was most eager for audiences to witness: “Our goal was to push this thing as far as it would go and then push it a little further. The chariot race was scary.

“I mean at the end of the day, we want the show to be great and we take that really seriously, but we also want everybody to be safe and okay. And strapping kids to horses at full speed… it just doesn’t seem like a good idea when you start planning it.

“So, the fact that we were able to do that and have it turn out great and also have everybody walk away from it smiling was a big deal.”

Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 is available to stream on Disney Plus.

Qatar’s LNG-driven prosperity is reshaping both its domestic eco-nomy and its international footprint.

In late October, Sheikh Bandar Al-Thani, governor of the Central Bank of Qatar and Chairman of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the nation’s sovereign wealth fund, met in New York with Larry Fink, chairman and CEO of asset management giant BlackRock.

Their second meeting within a year underscored a deepening partnership through which Qatar gains access to world-class wealth advisory while BlackRock taps into new and expanding pools of capital. This year, both institutions have jointly participated in multiple major US technology funding rounds, including AI firm Anthropic’s $13 billion Series F offering and smart vehicle company Applied Intuition’s $600 million round.

Private Banking And Wealth Management

A small desert country with an economy of commensurate size only a few decades ago, Qatar is now one of the world’s richest nations, with GDP per capita exceeding $80,000 for barely 350,000 nationals. Thanks to its expanding gas production, the emirate’s growth is expected to jump from 2.5% this year to over 6.5% in 2026, making it the best-performing economy in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and one of the strongest globally.

In a region that is already a magnet for global wealth, with transforming economies and accommodative fiscal regimes, Qatar’s rapid acceleration is drawing increased attention from investment banks, private banks, and wealth managers. Big names such as J.P. Morgan, HSBC, UBS, and Barclays are already present in Doha and expanding their teams.

Yet local institutions retain a strong advantage. Their bankers have cultivated relationships with Qatari families for generations, offering the kind of cultural understanding and trust that foreign competitors struggle to match.

“There is a noticeable increase in interest from international private banks and wealth managers targeting the GCC market, drawn by the growing affluence and capital inflows,” observes Chaouki Daher, general manager and head of Private Banking & Wealth Management at Dukhan Bank. “However, local and regional players retain a competitive advantage through cultural affinity, deep client relationships, and a better understanding of Islamic finance principles. That said, the competition is pushing all of us to elevate our offerings: especially in areas like digital experience, discretionary portfolio management, and tailored investment advisory.”

Dukhan Bank is Qatar’s third largest lender; its clients are mainly local high and ultra-high net worth individuals and family offices.

Some global firms are attempting to enter the market by leveraging local know-how. American asset manager Blackstone, for instance, is exploring a partnership with Doha Bank to provide Qatari clients with access to private-market investment solutions traditionally reserved for institutional investors.

Next-Gen Investors

Local banks, meanwhile, understand that their clients are evolving and looking for more sophisticated investment solutions beyond traditional equities and real estate. At investment bank Lesha, CEO Mohammed Ismail Al Emadi witnesses this every day.

“We are seeing increasing sophistication amongst institutions and individual investors in Qatar and the broader GCC,” he says, “and this includes a growing allocation to alternative—typically private market—investments. We see strong demand from our investors in asset classes such as real estate, real assets—including aviation—and private equity. We also see strong interest in actively managed public equities in the region, where significant opportunities for alpha generation exist.”

This new strategic direction, especially among younger investors, is indeed one to watch as the GCC region stands on the brink of the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history. By 2030, an estimated $1 trillion is expected to pass hands, opening huge opportunities for private banks to support succession planning.

“Increasingly, we are seeing interest from second-generation clients who are more global in outlook and seek access to sophisticated investment opportunities that align with both performance and values: particularly Shariah compliance and ESG integration,” says Daher. He also sees potential in “cross-border investment opportunities, particularly in technology, healthcare, and sustainable infrastructure, which appeal to the younger generation of investors.”

While personalized service and direct human interaction remain essential for top-tier clients, lenders say that younger customers won’t even consider banking with a partner that doesn’t offer full-fledged digital services.

“A younger, digitally native customer base is redefining product design,” notes Dimitrios Kokosioulis, deputy CEO of Doha Bank: “lifestyle-driven product propositions including payments, micro savings, subscriptions, travel/loyalty, and gamified financial wellness. That shift is visible in the product launches, where user experience, personalization, and instant fulfillment have become standard expectations.”

Looking ahead, Qatari banks are also investing heavily in AI to enhance their product offerings and boost operational efficiency.

“The rapid adoption of digital channels is driving innovation in mobile banking, digital payments, and personalized financial ecosystems supported by AI algorithms,” notes Omran Sherawi, senior associate general manager and head of Asset Liability Management at Commercial Bank of Qatar (CBQ). “These technologies enable hyper-personalized offers, real-time advisory services, and intelligent portfolio management.”

Going Global

While banks cater to individual wealth, Qatari institutions are also deploying energy revenues on a global scale, extending the nation’s influence far beyond its borders.

Qatar’s ambitious LNG expansion is set to add more than $30 billion annually to the country’s energy revenues. This increase is expected to grow the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) from an estimated $524 billion in assets to over $800 billion by 2030.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the QIA is already the world’s eighth-largest sovereign wealth fund, with assets distributed globally and a workforce spread across Doha, New York, and Singapore. How will it deploy that much additional capital?

“In anything beyond LNG, for diversification purposes,” argues Diego Lopez, founder and managing director of Global SWF, a consultancy and data provider focused on sovereign wealth funds and public pension funds.

At home, the QIA is doubling down on strategic investments, backing giga infrastructure projects and its $1 billion Fund of Funds venture capital program, launched in 2024 to attract venture capital and businesses to Doha. The initiative aims to position Qatar as an alternative to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and has already received over 100 applications, just six of which have been selected so far.

The QIA is projecting Qatar’s wealth and power abroad. For the past two decades, it focused mainly on purchasing prime real estate, luxury brands, and high-profile companies in the UK and Europe. While it is far from turning its back on the Old Continent, Qataris now seem to have two new areas of focus: the Americas and Asia.

In May, the fund announced $500 billion in investments in the US over the next decade, doubling its current exposure and taking in bigger tickets, with a strong focus on the race for AI data centers and healthcare.

In September, it invested $3 billion with New York-based Blue Owl Capital to seed a digital infrastructure platform. The QIA is looking to back “leading global firms that are addressing the world’s growing demand for data centers,” CEO Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi said then. A few weeks earlier, the QIA took part in a $1 billion funding round for PsiQuantum, a US-based quantum computing company.

Doha is also looking to deploy surplus capital eastward.

Asia, Qatar’s largest LNG export market, offers fast-growing economies, a key role in global supply chains, a large young population, and abundant tech talent. The QIA opened an office in Singapore in 2021 to facilitate investments across the region. Earlier this year, Qatar bought a 10% stake in China’s second largest mutual fund and pledged $10 billion in investments in India.

What’s Next

In the coming years, the QIA expects to boost its investments in Japan, Southeast Asia, Korea, and Australia as a means diversifying its portfolio while deepening ties with rising economies. Qataris are also active in Central Asia, in countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, where the QIA supports sectors including agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and transport.

That said, Qatar remains a tiny state with a growing need for resources needed to build a more diverse economy. With that in mind, the QIA has begun investing to secure resources, including rare earth elements, that are critical for digital infrastructure as well as to address climate change and energy transition. In September, the fund invested $500 million to acquire a 4% stake in Canada’s Ivanhoe Mines, which produces metals including zinc, copper, germanium, silver, platinum, palladium, nickel, rhodium and gold in South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and is looking to explore new sites in Angola, Kazakhstan, and Zambia.

WASHINGTON — President Trump said Wednesday that the United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as tensions mount with the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Using U.S. forces to seize an oil tanker is incredibly unusual and marks the Trump administration’s latest push to increase pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the United States. The U.S. has built up the largest military presence in the region in decades and launched a series of deadly strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump said “other things are happening,” but did not offer additional details, saying he would speak more about it later.

The seizure was led by the U.S. Coast Guard and supported by the Navy, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official added that the seizure was conducted under U.S. law enforcement authority.

Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves and produces about 1 million barrels a day. Locked out of global oil markets by U.S. sanctions, the state-owned oil company sells most of its output at a steep discount to refiners in China.

The transactions usually involve a complex network of shadowy intermediaries as sanctions scared away more established traders. Many are shell companies, registered in jurisdictions known for secrecy. The buyers deploy so-called ghost tankers that hide their location and hand off their valuable cargoes in the middle of the ocean before they reach their final destination.

During past negotiations, among the concessions the U.S. has made to Maduro was approval for oil giant Chevron Corp. to resume pumping and exporting Venezuelan oil. The corporation’s activities in the South American country resulted in a financial lifeline for Maduro’s government.

Maduro did not address the seizure during a speech before a ruling-party organized demonstration in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital. But he told supporters that Venezuela is “prepared to break the teeth of the North American empire if necessary.”

Maduro, flanked by senior officials, said that only the ruling party can “guarantee peace, stability, and the harmonious development of Venezuela, South America and the Caribbean.”

The seizure comes a day after the U.S. military flew a pair of fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela in what appeared to be the closest that warplanes had come to the South American country’s airspace since the start of the administration’s pressure campaign. Trump has said land attacks are coming soon but has not offered any details on location.

It was not immediately clear who owned the tanker or what national flag it was sailing under. The Coast Guard referred a request for comment to the White House.

Madhani and Toropin write for the Associated Press. AP writer Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery says he wants to “get a solution” for on-loan Harvey Elliott, who will “not definitely” be joining the club on a permanent basis.

The Liverpool midfielder, 22, has only featured seven times since moving to Villa Park on transfer deadline day.

A £35m permanent deal will be triggered if he plays in 10 Premier League games.

Elliott, who starred for England Under-21s as they won the European Championship last summer, is not in the squad for Thursday’s Europa League tie at Basel.

His last appearance came as a late substitute against Feyenoord in the Europa League on 2 October.

“We are speaking with him and about his situation. He is not here with us,” Emery said when asked about Elliott on Wednesday.

NewsFeed

Right-wing opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was missing from the ceremony awarding her this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. She’s been in hiding for the past year since she accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of rigging the July 2024 election.

Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro’s new film Frankenstein brings Shelley’s old questions back into sharp focus. Watching it, I wasn’t thinking about the film alone but about the world we now inhabit: a world driven by machines that imitate judgement, technologies released faster than any ethics can catch them, and creators who often step back from the consequences of what they build. The story became a frame for thinking about invention without care and the human cost of systems that move ahead of responsibility.

From the first shot, it was clear del Toro wasn’t interested in telling a simple horror story. He was asking what happens when creation slips away from responsibility. His protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a man capable of making life but unwilling to face what follows. His Creature is marked by a worn, unmistakably human presence, punished simply for existing. Together they pull Shelley’s story into the present, where knowledge outruns empathy and creators disown the harm their inventions cause. This isn’t a film review. It’s a way of thinking about an age built on AI, automated judgement and systems that move faster than the societies they reshape.

The Image as Argument

Del Toro’s visuals feel like political claims. Inside the lab, everything shines with promise, but the world around it already feels smaller, narrowed by Victor’s drive. Step outside, and the landscape is hard and unwelcoming. The images hint at a future where speed counts for more than judgement, and the tools we build quietly take choices away from the people who have to live with them.

The Creature and the Human Left Behind

The Creature’s journey exposes what gets left behind when systems evolve without accountability. His struggle is not mythic fortitude. It is the fight of someone denied belonging, yet still reaching for it. His suffering comes not from nature but neglect. That is where the story finds its political edge. When institutions, technologies or creators step back, people fall through the cracks. Monsters are produced through abandonment long before they ever lash out.

The Wound of Inheritance

Endurance teaches survival, but survival alone cannot heal neglect. To understand where that wound begins, we have to turn from myth to the people who make it. Like Shelley, the director builds his story on failed fathers: men who mistake intellect for affection and principle for presence.

In Shelley’s novel, Victor’s father is distant, a man of education and propriety who believes guidance is best delivered through correction rather than warmth. When Victor loses his mother, his father’s stoic restraint becomes a model of civility that hides a failure of empathy. That early absence of emotional attention shapes Victor’s later obsession with mastering life instead of understanding it. Shelley knew this pattern intimately.

Her father, William Godwin, preached liberty and reason but struggled with tenderness. He married Mary Wollstonecraft, the feminist intellectual, only after her death, a gesture that exposed how intellect can perform care without ever practising it. Shelley grew up inside that contradiction: a father who believed in just progress yet withheld warmth. Frankenstein became her answer to that hypocrisy. Victor Frankenstein is Godwin’s idea of pure reason turned human. He creates life but cannot care for what he has made. His emotional detachment does not just inform his choices; it defines his mythic role.Victor became the modern Prometheus. By the end, he finally confesses what drives him: pride, greed, and the hunger to control. It is the only peace he earns, and it feels like the confession of our own age.

Del Toro recognises the same model and turns it outward. His Victor belongs to our century of technocrats who build systems and then deny their consequences. He is our era’s new aristocracy of tech feudalism: ambitious, efficient, and unaccountable. The technology elite speak of optimisation, disruption, long-term futures and existential threats, but rarely of the ordinary lives reshaped by their decisions. Some imagine themselves visionaries, others saviours, others guardians of civilisation. But Shelley’s question cuts through that confidence. What does it mean to create something powerful, then step aside when it begins to rearrange the world?

Systems Without Stewards

The logic of the story echoes the world we now occupy. Tools built to support us now automate decisions about welfare, policing and work. Machine learning reshapes social life faster than regulators can understand it. Data systems expand with no clear stewards. What Shelley framed as a private tragedy now feels structural. Victor’s refusal to care has become a model reproduced across industries.

And this is where the parallel lands. We’ve slipped into a century shaped by people who build vast systems yet refuse to own the worlds those systems produce. Think of Elon Musk’s faith in acceleration, or Peter Thiel and Alex Karp insisting that Palantir’s surveillance tools are essential for democracy. Each stance mirrors Victor’s belief that intellect alone justifies power. They cast themselves as guardians of progress, yet their creations are already remaking social life faster than any public can respond. Frankenstein unsettles because it shows what follows when men commanding immense influence refuse to look directly at the people caught beneath their ambitions.

That is why the Frankenstein story matters again. It does not tell us how to regulate AI. It reminds us that danger begins when makers decide they are above the consequences of their work. Shelley wrote a warning. Del Toro simply holds up the mirror. The question is no longer whether Victor failed. It is whether we, facing our own age of unsupervised power, will choose to do any better.

AT the age of 66 – with 200million record sales behind him and millions in the bank – Simon Cowell could be forgiven for taking his foot off the pedal.

But six years after collecting his bus pass – and he loves buses – the music mogul is back, and on a mission.

His new Netflix show, aptly titled The Next Act, will see him scouring the country in the hope of discovering the planet’s biggest boyband.

Over the years, Simon has sat through hundreds of interviews, painstakingly answering the same, insipid questions.

But having been pals with him for 20 years, I wanted to do something a little bit different.

So we celebrated my 35th (plus a few years) birthday together at a McDonald’s after Si discovered I’d never visited a drive-thru before. His driver, Tony, took us in Simon’s decked-out Lexus, which comes complete with mini-bar and plasma-screen TV.

While there, I grilled Simon – who has son Eric, 11, with partner Lauren Silverman – in a hilarious game of “Ask Me Anything”.

In a chat that won’t be winning me a Pulitzer any time soon, Simon cheerily answered a raft of, erm, probing questions.

From bathing FOUR times a day and having all his filler dissolved, to how he has lost three stone thanks to a 600-calorie-a-day regime, no question was off limits.

Here, in his own words, is Simon as you’ve never seen him before.

SIMON’S DIET & LIFESTYLE

FIVE years ago, Mr Cowell cut a very different figure.

By his own admission, he was “puffy” and unhappy with his appearance.

To overcome it, he dramatically upped his workout regime — he trains or cycles daily now — and slashed his calories to less than 1,000 a day (bar today’s “cheat day”).

CM: Do you have a gastric band?

SC: No! I did have a LINX band put in though which stops the acid going up into my chest.

And I cut out sugar, dairy, red meat, gluten . . . I had the diet of a school boy, and was told by a dietician it was the worst diet he’d ever seen.

I have four 90-calorie beers a day, but pour half the beer out and make it a shandy.

I basically eat the same things every day. Breakfast is a green, protein smoothie with fruits, a lot of blackcurrants, porridge and tea, and lunch is half a hot cross bun.

I eat dinner at about 4.30pm and because I wake up at 9.30, 10am, I can go 17 hours without eating: Intermittent fasting.

CM: Have you ever tried the fat jab?

SC: No, I’ve never been tempted, sorry.

CM: How many push-ups can you do?

SC: About 40 in one go. I have these two little bar things and every day I do somewhere between 300 and 600. If I’m really going for it, a thousand.

CM: Will you show us?

SC: No, Clemmie, I am not doing press-ups in McDonalds’.

CM: How much sleep do you get a night?

SC: Ten hours. I have these amazing blue light glasses for it and they’re incredible.

CM: Do you wear pyjamas?

SC: Yes.

CM: How many units of Botox have you had?

SM: Oh God, thousands.

CM: Have you had a facelift?

SC: No! Everyone always thinks I have but I haven’t. I used to have filler but then one day I saw a picture of myself and thought, “Oh God, I look like a real weirdo”.

So I had everything dissolved.

CM: How old would you like to be when you finally, you know, cark it?

SC: I said earlier this year that I age backwards. So instead of being 66, I consider myself to be 64. Next year I will be 62.

I think I can live to 100. If I can remove all my stress, carry on with the diet and, you know, we’re discovering new stuff all the time.

CM: Do you biohack?

SC: Well I’ve started on peptides now — I’m on NAD+ [an amino acid said to promote cell turnover and longevity] and am feeling really good for it. I also take Boots Dual Defence [nasal spray] daily and can’t remember the last time I had a cold.”

SIMON’S BITS & BOBS

CM: Have you had your dogs cloned?

SC: I love dogs, sometimes more so than humans. If you love them, they are so loyal and love you unconditionally back.

I have four now: Pebbles the Alsatian, Squiddly, Diddly and Daisy, who is a rescue from Barbados, so she really hates the winter months. They’re like my babies.

So, cloning isn’t as easy as I thought. They don’t just turn up as sweet little puppies in a box. There are ethical concerns so you have to get a donor dog and it’s essential you keep and look after that donor dog, which I absolutely would do.

Otherwise, it’s not right and people who are cruel to animals are the most disgusting people in the world. They are sickos. They deserve custodial sentences — it just upsets me so much.

CM: What’s the funniest thing you have ever read about yourself?

SC: Probably something you wrote about me.

CM: Do you read below-the-line comments?

SC: Absolutely not. I’ve a theory that the really bad comments, whoever posts them, if they’re guys, they have blue duvets with a lot of stains on them. Always dark blue. Living with their mum and dad with filthy duvets. So I refuse to read them.

CM: Ever been to Primark?

SC: Yes, yes. Eric got some PJs, which I promise you are the softest pyjamas I’ve ever touched in my life. And they’re really cute. They’re from Primark!

CM: Have you shopped at TX Maxx?

SC: What’s TK Maxx?

CM: Ever flown Wizz Air?

SC: No, but I flew easyJet to Spain once.

CM: Do you fly cattle?

SC: Um, well, I fly commercial. But in a flat-down bed. I don’t fly private jet.

CM: Do you pray?

SC: I pray every night, yeah. I believe that we have a guardian angel. I believe in God and in the powers of the universe. It’s all combined. And I’m definitely going to heaven. I hope so.

There’ll be my old dogs, all my old friends, my mum and dad.

CM: How many mirrors do you have in your house?

SC: Lots. But actually, I don’t really think I’m that vain.

CM: What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done?

SC: Like what?

CM: I don’t know, have you ever wet yourself?

SC: No Clemmie, I haven’t wet myself.

CM: What’s your biggest bugbear?

SC: People with bad breath.

CM: Have you found the new One Direction in your Netflix show?

SC: Well, I don’t know. All I know is that if people like them as much as I like them — and I really, really do have a bond with these boys — then I will be so happy.

They’re real, they’re not privileged, they have no leg-up, apart from this.

One of them is still working in a fast-food restaurant. They’re just lovely, funny boys.

SIMON’S QUIRKS

CM: Do you wear fresh pants every day?

SM: Yeah, of course. I’ve got them all lined up in a drawer, in their little white boxes. I think I have OCD.

CM: Do you wear lifts in your shoes?

SC: No! But yes, I do wear a Cuban heel which gives me an extra inch.

CM: Do you Google “Simon Cowell”?

SC: No because I read things like I wear boosters in my shoes. I probably last Googled myself seven or eight years ago.

CM: When did you last get the Underground?

SM: “Erm, probably not this century. But I do love a double-decker bus, the top deck.

CM: What jeans do you wear?

SM: I wear Giorgio Armani ones, and I’ve only got one pair. People don’t really think I have legs because they always see me sitting down.

CM: How many T-shirts do you own? And do you get a discount code on them?

SC: I have 200 identical charcoal grey Derek Rose T-shirts. I do get a pretty good deal on them actually, yes. I don’t have to think about anything then.

CM: What’s your most annoying habit?

SC: Apparently I snore. But actually, I chew gum really loudly and it drives everyone mad. It’s a chewing gum called CB12. It really irritates everyone.

CM: What irritates you the most?

SC: I have a thing about smells, and hygiene. You smell good by the way. So do you two in the front [points to Sophie, The Sun’s producer, and Tony, his long-term driver].

I want to make a new show actually called The Most Disgusting Show In The World to show people what we actually eat and breathe, and how disgusting we really are. Like, all the bed bugs in our beds, that freaks me out. Everything does.

I’m allergic to them so I have to get my mattress and carpets steamed all the time to get rid of the dust mites or whatever.

SIMON’S CHEAT McDONALD’S ORDER

A DOUBLE Filet-O-Fish and small fries – eaten only after sanitising his hands (and mine).

He says: “Excitingly, we’re going into unknown territories now with the double fish burger. This is quite new, so I am very eager to try it.”

He then proceeds to remove the bun, and cheese, and pick at two slivers of lightly-battered fish patties. And has three fries.

•  Simon Cowell: The Next Act is available to stream now on Netflix.

Abdulla Mubarak Al Khalifa, Group CEO of Qatar National Bank, speaks with Global Finance about the bank’s international strategy and the opportunities shaping QNB’s next phase of growth.

Global Finance: QNB is the largest bank in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) by assets and a global player. Tell us about your international strategy

Abdulla Mubarak Al Khalifa: Our strategy beyond the Qatari market involves leveraging our strong brand reputation and extensive experience in emerging markets. We aim to expand our footprint in the MENA region and beyond by establishing strategic partnerships and exploring opportunities in countries with high growth potential. By focusing on markets that complement our expertise in corporate banking, retail banking, and wealth management, we aim to enhance our international presence and diversify our revenue streams.

GF: At home in Qatar, big economic changes are underway, how does it affect the banking and financial sector? How do you see the future?

Al Khalifa: The banking sector in Qatar is undergoing significant transformation, driven by technological advancements, regulatory reforms, and a focus on digital banking. We’re witnessing an increase in customer expectations for seamless digital experiences, prompting us to invest heavily in innovative financial technologies. Additionally, the sector is becoming more competitive, with both local and international players enhancing their presence in the market. This evolution is setting the stage for a more robust and diversified banking environment that can better serve the needs of individuals and businesses alike.

GF: What product offerings show the most promising outlook? 

Al Khalifa: In the coming years, we believe that digital banking services, green finance products, and wealth management solutions will hold the strongest growth potential. As consumer behavior shifts towards digital transactions, we are enhancing our online banking platforms and mobile applications to meet these demands. Additionally, with the global emphasis on sustainability, we are committed to developing green financing products that support environmentally friendly projects, aligning with Qatar’s vision for sustainable development.

GF: With major developments ahead, particularly the expansion of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production capacity from 77 million to 142 million tons per year by 2030, how are you adapting and preparing to support this next phase of growth?

Al Khalifa: QNB is strategically positioned to support this growth by providing tailored financing solutions for energy projects, including infrastructure development and sustainability initiatives. We are also focusing on fostering partnerships with companies in the energy sector to ensure that we are aligned with their financial needs, thus playing a pivotal role in facilitating this next phase of economic growth.

GF: What major risks does the banking industry currently encounter, and what measures are QNB taking to mitigate them?

Al Khalifa: The banking sector faces several challenges, including regulatory compliance, cybersecurity threats, and economic fluctuations. At QNB, we are proactively addressing these risks through robust risk management frameworks and investments in technology to enhance our cybersecurity measures. We also maintain a strong focus on compliance with international regulations to ensure that we navigate the evolving regulatory landscape effectively. By adopting a forward-thinking approach, we are committed to safeguarding our assets and ensuring the long-term stability of our operations.  In summary, QNB is well-prepared to navigate the evolving landscape of the banking sector in Qatar and beyond, focusing on innovation, sustainability, and strategic growth to support our clients and the economy as a whole.

WASHINGTON — Foreigners who are allowed to come to the United States without a visa could soon be required to submit information about their social media, email accounts and extensive family history to the Department of Homeland Security before being approved for travel.

The notice published Wednesday in the Federal Register said Customs and Border Protection is proposing collecting five years worth of social media information from travelers from select countries who do not have to get visas to come to the U.S. The Trump administration has been stepping up monitoring of international travelers and immigrants.

The announcement refers to travelers from more than three dozen countries who take part in the Visa Waiver Program and submit their information to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, which automatically screens them and then approves them for travel to the U.S. Unlike visa applicants, they generally do not have to go into an embassy or consulate for an interview.

The Department of Homeland Security administers the program, which currently allows citizens of roughly 40 mostly European and Asian countries to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business for three months without visas.

The announcement also said that CBP would start requesting a list of other information, including telephone numbers the person has used over the last five years or email addresses used over the last decade. Also sought would be metadata from electronically submitted photos, as well as extensive information from the applicant’s family members, including their places of birth and their telephone numbers.

The application that people are now required to fill out to take part in ESTA asks a more limited set of questions such as parents’ names and current email address.

The public has 60 days to comment on the proposed changes before they go into effect, the notice said.

CBP officials did not immediately respond to questions about the new rules.

The announcement did not say what the administration was looking for in the social media accounts or why it was asking for more information.

But the agency said it was complying with an executive order that Republican President Trump signed in January that called for more screening of people coming to the U.S. to prevent the entry of possible national security threats.

Travelers from countries that are not part of the Visa Waiver Program system are already required to submit their social media information, a policy that dates to the first Trump administration. The policy remained during Democratic President Biden’s administration.

But citizens from visa waiver countries were not obligated to do so.

Since January, the Trump administration has stepped up checks of immigrants and travelers, both those trying to enter the U.S. as well as those already in the country. Officials have tightened visa rules by requiring that applicants set all of their social media accounts to public so that they can be more easily scrutinized and checked for what authorities view as potential derogatory information. Refusing to set an account to public can be considered grounds for visa denial, according to guidelines provided by the State Department.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services now considers whether an applicant for benefits, such as a green card, “endorsed, promoted, supported, or otherwise espoused” anti-American, terrorist or antisemitic views.

The heightened interest in social media screening has drawn concern from immigration and free speech advocates about what the Trump administration is looking for and whether the measures target people critical of the administration in an infringement of free speech rights.

Santana writes for the Associated Press.

Former Clippers point guard Chris Paul says he’s “at peace with everything” after being abruptly dismissed by the team last week.

“Stuff’s been a little crazy in the past few days — to say the least,” Paul told People magazine in an interview published Tuesday. “But honestly, I’m home. My daughter had tryouts yesterday. My nephew had a basketball game. My son has a game coming up on the 12th.”

Paul’s son, Chris Paul II, is a sophomore guard for the Campbell Hall varsity basketball team, which plays Newbury Park on Friday.

“I have never seen my son play a game in person,” the elder Paul said. “Not a middle school game, not a high school game. So I’m excited about seeing him play.”

Also on Tuesday, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue denied an ESPN report from last week that he and Paul hadn’t been on speaking terms in the weeks leading up to the team’s decision to part ways with one of its most iconic players.

“That ain’t true. We were talking,” Lue told reporters at practice. “I mean, he played. How he gonna play [if] I’m not talking to him?

“I mean, there was a stretch when we said he wasn’t gonna play, he’s gonna be out of the rotation. That was tough for him because he’s a competitor and what the game means to him and what he brings every single day. But after that it wasn’t really much.”

Paul is a 12-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist who ranks second in NBA history with 12,552 assists. He was the first player with at least 20,000 points and more than 10,000 assists.

Playing for the Clippers from 2011-17 — the team’s “Lob City” era — Paul and fellow superstar Blake Griffin led the team to six winning seasons, its first two Pacific Division titles and three playoff series victories. As a 40-year-old free agent in July, Paul signed a $3.6 million deal to return to the Clippers for his 21st, and very possibly final, NBA season.

This season, Paul averaged career lows in points (2.6), assists (3.3.) and minutes (14.3). He didn’t play at all in five consecutive games in mid-November. The Clippers, off to a disastrous 5-16 start to the season, were in Atlanta for a game against the Hawks when Paul made a surprise announcement on social media.

“Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home,” Paul posted Dec. 3 on social media at around 3 a.m. Eastern time.

Later that morning, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank confirmed the move.

“We are parting ways with Chris, and he will no longer be a part of the team,” Frank said in a statement. “We will work with him on the next step of his career.”

Frank indicated that the team will attempt to trade Paul, who becomes trade-eligible on Monday.

A league source not authorized to discuss the issue publicly told The Times last week that Paul had called out teammates, coaches and Frank this season. Paul apologized, but “everyone was fed up,” the source said.

Lue insisted Tuesday that his relationship with Paul wasn’t an issue.

“I had no problem with Chris,” Lue said. “The guy’s a competitor, he wants to play. You can understand that. So, you know, he was a little frustrated at first, but we got over that. … That’s my guy, my friend before he got here. So you don’t want to see that happen to anybody no matter what the circumstances are.”

Asked why the team ultimately decided the situation with Paul couldn’t be fixed, Lue responded, “You gotta ask Lawrence.”

In his interview with People, Paul didn’t offer any insight on what happened between him and the Clippers. Instead, he seems to be focused on the present — “I’m excited to be back here with my family,” Paul said — and the future.

“More than anything, I’m excited about being around,” he said, “and getting a chance to play a small role in whatever anything looks like next.”

Staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem took a tour of CECOT in Tecoluca, El Salvador, in March. This week, the Department of Homeland Security signed a contract to buy six planes with which to deport people. File Photo by Tia Dufour/U.S. Department of Homeland Security | License Photo

Dec. 10 (UPI) — The Department of Homeland Security has inked a deal to buy six Boeing 737 planes to deport immigrants.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has used charter planes in the past for deportation flights, but this deal will allow it to operate its own fleet.

The money comes from the $170 billion that Congress authorized for Trump’s immigration control plans in a spending bill earlier this year, according to the Washington Post.

In late October, DHS announced it had deported nearly 600,000 people this year.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to The Post that the planes would save money “by allowing ICE to operate more effectively, including by using more efficient flight patterns.” She said it would save $279 million in taxpayer dollars, though she didn’t elaborate.

“We are delighted to see The Washington Post is highlighting the Trump administration’s cost-effective and innovative ways of delivering on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens,” she said in a statement.

She added that Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “are committed to quickly and efficiently getting criminal illegal aliens OUT of our country.”

In November, The Wall Street Journal reported that Noem and her chief adviser, Corey Lewandowski, directed ICE officials to buy 10 planes from Spirit Airlines for deportation flights and their own travel. But Spirit didn’t own the planes, which did not have engines.

The DHS contract is with Virginia-based Daedalus Aviation, created in February 2024, according to corporate records, The Post reported. Daedalus’s website says it “offers a full range of commercial and charter aviation services” and “provides comprehensive responsive flight operations tailored to the unique needs of each mission.”

John Sandweg, former acting director of ICE under President Barack Obama, said the purchase shows that ICE has a lot of money, but isn’t likely to be cost-effective.

“It’s so much easier to issue a contract to a company that already manages a fleet of airplanes,” Sandweg told The Post. “So this move I’m surprised by because what the administration wants to accomplish, by and large, can be accomplished through charter flights already.”