Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has insisted he has “never directly racially abused anybody”, following complaints from 20 people he went to school with.
A Guardian investigation spoke to contemporaries at Dulwich College who alleged Farage made racist and antisemitic remarks to them, which a spokesperson denied.
Speaking directly to a journalist about the allegations for the first time, Farage, 61, was pressed on what he meant by “directly” and replied: “By taking it out on an individual on the basis of who they are or what they are.”
He also ruled out holding an investigation into his own party, following the jailing of former Welsh Reform UK leader Nathan Gill for taking pro-Russian bribes.
Among the allegations in the Guardian are that Farage joked about gas chambers and put another pupil in detention, when he was a prefect, for the colour of their skin.
When asked about the claims, Farage responded: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being banter in a playground, that you can interpret in the modern light of day in some sort of way? Yes.”
He added: “I’ve never directly racially abused anybody. No.”
Pointing towards “political disagreements” with some of his school peers, Farage also denied having “ever been part of an extremist organisation or engaged in direct, unpleasant personal abuse, genuine abuse, on that basis”.
Pressed on whether he would say categorically that he did not racially abuse fellow pupils, Farage said: ” I would never, ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way.”
Asked whether he had perhaps said things to fellow pupils that he had not intended to be hurtful or racist, but they took it that way, he said: “I hope not.”
And asked whether he had said things at school that people might have taken offence to, he replied: “Without any shadow of a doubt.
“And without any shadow of a doubt I shall say things tonight on this stage that some people will take offence to and will use pejorative terms about.
“That is actually in some ways what open free speech is. Sometimes you say things that people don’t like.”
When asked if he would apologise to the people claiming he had been racist towards them, Farage replied: “No, I’m not, because I don’t think I did anything that directly hurt anybody.”
Farage, who was an MEP from 1999 until 2020, and was UKIP leader from 2006 to 2009 and 2010 to 2016, was also questioned about his former UKIP MEP colleague Nathan Gill, who was jailed for ten and a half years last Friday after admitting taking bribes to make pro-Russian interviews and statements when he was an MEP.
Gill was first elected to Brussels as a UKIP MEP in 2014, becoming a Brexit Party MEP in 2019, sticking with the party when it became Reform UK, and becoming Welsh leader in 2021, although he failed to get re-elected shortly afterwards.
Speaking at a Reform UK rally in Llandudno, north Wales, Farage said Gill was “briefly… leader of Reform Wales”.
The fact Gill took bribes “is of course an absolute and total disgrace,” he said.
“We disown his actions and we disown what he has done in every single way.”
In a separate interview,Farage was asked if he needed to investigate any other Russian links within his party, but said: “I’m not a police force, I haven’t got the resources.”
He added he thought there should be a broader investigation into Russian and Chinese interference in British politics, suggesting MI5 should conduct it.
Farage said he was as confident “as I can be” that no one else in Reform past or present had done similar things to the former Reform Wales leader, labelling the issue a “very minor embarrassment for Reform”.
He said: “I’m very shocked about Gill – he was in UKIP for a very, very long time – albeit it his time in Reform was very, very short…
“I’ve had no engagement with him and nobody in my leadership team has had any engagement with him whatsoever.”
Asked if that meant he could not rule out that there might be people in the party that might have spoken to him since his arrest, he added: “Nobody in authority.”
Responding to the accusations of racism during Farage’s schooldays, Liberal Democrat President-Elect Josh Babarinde MP said: “The Reform leader’s refusal to deny that he’s said these racist remarks is unbecoming from someone who wants to be our next prime minister.
“The British people deserve a straight answer.
“It looks like the mask has slipped and fact-of-the matter-Farage is turning into no-answers-Nigel.”
And Labour accused Nigel Farage of claiming “you can racially abuse people without it being hurtful and insulting”.
Lord Mike Katz, a Labour peer and former Chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, called on Farage to “come clean” about the claims and said “failure to do so would be yet more evidence that Farage is simply unfit for office”.
He said: “Just when you thought Nigel Farage couldn’t sink any lower, he is trying to say abhorrent racist comments, including vile antisemitic insults, doesn’t matter.
“He seems to think that you can racially abuse people without it being hurtful and insulting. Let’s be crystal clear: you can’t.”
France prepares to host Iran’s foreign minister in Paris for high-stakes talks on nuclear and regional tensions.
France will host Iran’s foreign minister in Paris this week for talks that are set to include stalled nuclear negotiations.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed on Monday that his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi will arrive on Wednesday for discussions that Paris hopes will nudge Iran back into full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as part of a defunct nuclear deal.
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“This will be an opportunity for us to call on Iran to comply with its obligations towards the IAEA and for a swift resumption of cooperation with the agency,” Barrot said ahead of the meeting.
French officials also plan to raise the status of two French nationals who were released from detention in Iran but remain unable to leave the country. Both are currently staying inside the French embassy in Tehran, and Paris has repeatedly pressed for their return.
The Paris meeting comes as Tehran has signalled it sees little urgency in resuming indirect talks with the United States over the future of its nuclear programme.
Earlier this month, Iran declared it was “not in a hurry” to restart negotiations, despite mounting pressure following the return of United Nations sanctions and growing economic strain.
Araghchi reiterated that position in an interview with Al Jazeera, saying Tehran remained open to dialogue if Washington approaches talks “from an equal position based on mutual interest”.
He dismissed reported US conditions – including demands for direct talks, zero enrichment, restrictions on missile capabilities, and curbs on support for regional allies – as “illogical and unfair”.
“It appears they are not in a hurry,” he said. “We are not in a hurry, either.”
Tehran’s top diplomat also argued that regional politics are shifting in Iran’s favour.
Referring to the Israeli prime minister, he said: “I sometimes tell my friends that Mr [Benjamin] Netanyahu is a war criminal who has committed every atrocity, but did something positive in proving to the entire region that Israel is the main enemy, not Iran, and not any other country.”
A planned sixth round of indirect US–Iran nuclear talks collapsed in June after Israel attacked Iranian nuclear sites, triggering a 12-day war that killed more than 1,000 people in Iran and caused billions of dollars in damage.
The two sides reached a ceasefire after the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.
US President Donald Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a deal between the US, Iran, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, China and the European Union that saw Tehran curtail its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
Iran has since continued to violate provisions of the agreement, arguing that the US withdrawal has nullified the deal. Iranian officials maintain that the country is only developing its nuclear programme for civilian purposes.
UN sanctions against Iran were reimposed in September as part of the 2015 agreement’s “snapback” mechanism.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The U.K. Ministry of Defense is facing growing questions about the progress of its F-35 program, after key shortcomings were outlined in a recent critical report from the Public Accounts Committee, a body that examines the value for money of government projects. As well as the adverse effect on the program of years of cost-cutting, the F-35B still critically lacks a standoff strike capability.
In particular, the committee found that a shortage of maintenance engineers is having a profound effect on F-35B availability and output. During Parliamentary questions in the House of Commons, Ben Obese-Jecty, a Conservative member of parliament, asked the Ministry of Defense how long it would take to fix these issues.
A U.K. F-35B during Operation Highmast earlier this year. Under Highmast, 18 British F-35Bs were embarked in the Prince of Wales, which sailed to the Indo-Pacific region. Crown Copyright
In response, Luke Pollard, minister of state at the Ministry of Defense, said that the maintenance engineer shortages would not be fixed for three to four years, although steps had been taken in this direction, including a “significant” increase in the recruitment of engineers over the last two years. These efforts have included boosting training capacity as well as sign-on bonuses for new recruits.
According to the Public Accounts Committee report, The U.K.’s F-35 capability, the shortage of qualified engineers in the Royal Air Force (RAF) came about due to a failure to determine exactly how many of these critical staff would be needed. As a result, this is now one of the main reasons behind the F-35’s availability being judged “poor” and the jet consistently failing to meet targets.
“The Ministry of Defense has introduced a program of surging recruitment for the RAF so that it returns to workforce balance across every specialization,” Pollard explained. “This activity includes a significant focus on the engineer profession where, over the last two years, the RAF has offered joining bonuses and increased the capacity of technical training schools to enable more recruits to be trained. To improve retention, the RAF has implemented a Financial Retention Incentive for engineers. The recruitment and retention of personnel remains one of the top two priorities for the chief of the defense staff.”
While it’s true that the U.K. Armed Forces, in general, are suffering from a lack of technical support staff, it remains embarrassing that, in the case of the F-35B, the Ministry of Defense simply “miscalculated how many engineers would be needed per plane,” by failing to take into account staff taking leave and performing other tasks.
A pair of F-35Bs landing on board HMS Prince of Wales during Operation Highmast in May 2025. Crown Copyright
Overall, the Public Accounts Committee judges the F-35 “the best fast jet the United Kingdom has ever had.”
The jet is currently operated by two frontline units, the RAF’s No. 617 Squadron, the “Dambusters,” and the Royal Navy’s 809 Naval Air Squadron (NAS), as well as a training unit, No. 207 Squadron, RAF, which serves as the Operational Conversion Unit (OCU). All of these are home-based at RAF Marham in England, the main operating hub when the jets are not embarked in one of the two Royal Navy aircraft carriers or deployed on operations. As of this summer, 38 F-35Bs had been delivered, with one of these lost in a carrier accident in the Mediterranean.
The report found that a history of “cost-cutting” throughout the U.K. F-35 program “has caused significant problems in its use,” which have affected the jet’s “capability, availability to fly, and value for money.”
While these issues relate to the in-service F-35B, the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) version of the jet, the same report also warns that the plan to introduce the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A version, which is nuclear-capable, is also likely to run into problems relating to costs and timelines.
When it comes to RAF Marham, the Public Accounts Committee slams the airbase for its “substandard accommodation,” which it described as “shabby, sometimes lacking hot water, and lacking bus access to a local town.”
The report notes that work on infrastructure at Marham won’t be finished until 2034, a “very complacent date,” and one that could further exacerbate problems in personnel retention.
Crown Copyright
Turning to the aircraft itself, one of the most significant problems caused by the cost-cutting relates to the facility that is required to assess the F-35’s stealth capability. This is critical to ensure that the fighter’s low-observable characteristics are functioning as they should. After all, the jet’s stealth features are key to its evading high-end air defense systems. More broadly, it should be noted that this type of infrastructure is a core requirement of the F-35’s unique capabilities, and constructing and sustaining it comes at an added cost.
To reduce the spending on the program, the Ministry of Defense delayed the investment in the facility, which provided a savings of £82 million (around $107 million) by 2024-25. However, due to inflation, the final cost of completing the facility will add another £16 million (around $21 million) on top of that by 2031-32.
British F-35Bs at RAF Marham. Jamie Hunter
In another effort to save cash in the short term, in 2020, the Ministry of Defense chose to slow down the delivery schedule of the F-35Bs, which had the effect of reducing the number of jets available on the flight lines today. The situation was then compounded by a lack of funds for buying new aircraft in 2020; this meant that seven aircraft were delivered a year late.
Finally, the Ministry of Defense took the decision to delay the full establishment of the first Royal Navy F-35B squadron, 809 NAS, again on budgetary grounds. This means the squadron has to wait until 2029 to get its full infrastructure at Marham. As a result, capability has been reduced and, once again, the eventual spend will be even greater: from £56 million (around $73 million) to a likely £154 million (around $201 million).
With this history of financial mismanagement in the program, the Public Accounts Committee is skeptical about how the Ministry of Defense will manage the introduction of another version of the jet, the F-35A.
“The new fast jets will be based at RAF Marham, with the Government expected to procure 138 F35s over the lifetime of the programme.” Everything else aside, this is about as clear a commitment to the UK’s full programme of record as you’re ever going to get……
After years of speculation, the United Kingdom finally announced this summer that it will buy 12 F-35As. As we have discussed in the past, this jet offers a number of advantages over the F-35B, but the Ministry of Defense has specifically highlighted its ability to join the NATO nuclear mission, which would see the jets armed with U.S.-owned B61-12 nuclear gravity bombs. On top of this mission, the RAF says that the new jets will be assigned to the training unit and will primarily be used in that role.
According to the Public Accounts Committee:
“Becoming certified for the NATO nuclear mission will add new requirements to training, personnel, and possibly infrastructure, but discussions in this area are at an early stage, and no indication of forecast costs has been provided by the Ministry of Defense.”
A U.S. Air Force F-35A drops a B61-12 during a test at Edwards Air Force Base, California. U.S. Air Force
One of those costs could well relate to the secure underground weapons vaults that are required to store the nuclear bombs. Whether such vaults did exist at RAF Marham in the past, it’s unclear whether this infrastructure remains intact or what degree of work it might need to accommodate the B61-12s. Some reports suggest the vaults have been dismantled or even filled in completely. Making use of U.S.-operated vaults at nearby RAF Lakenheath could be another option.
A Weapons Storage and Security System vault of the type used at NATO airbases in Europe, seen here in the raised position holding an older B61 variant. Public Domain/WikiCommons
When the F-35A decision was announced, TWZalso highlighted the potential disadvantages of a mixed fleet, especially with only a dozen of these versions, which represents very much a token force:
“A fleet of just 12 jets adds another type with some different maintenance and infrastructure requirements, and a relatively low availability rate, at least historically. At the same time, the training that it offers is not 1:1 for the STOVL F-35B, and it is questionable whether it will save money in the long run. That would change, however, if the British were to buy A-models in bigger numbers.”
Night flying aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. Lockheed Martin
The question of numbers is one that has surrounded the U.K. F-35 program for many years now.
So far, firm orders have only been placed for 48 F-35Bs. The previous Conservative government confirmed it was negotiating to buy another 27 F-35Bs for delivery by 2033. However, this batch of 27 jets will now be divided between F-35As (12) and F-35Bs (15).
At the very least, it seems the planned number of STOVL F-35Bs to be purchased will be reduced.
This could lead to problems, since it is widely considered that significantly more than 48 F-35Bs are required to meet the ambition of 24 jets available for the baseline Carrier Strike mission, across both carriers. Considering training and other demands, a figure of 60-70 jets is generally thought to be reasonable. In the meantime, U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs have, on occasions, been relied upon to make up the required aircraft numbers during carrier cruises, although this wasn’t the case for the recent embarkation of 24 jets on HMS Prince of Wales.
A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B operates from HMS Queen Elizabeth during the U.K. Carrier Strike Group 21 deployment. Crown Copyright
Reports of Ministry of Defense financial mismanagement on the F-35 program also hardly inspire confidence in the even more ambitious plan for the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), the United Kingdom’s future air combat initiative at the heart of which is the Tempest crewed stealth fighter.
As we have discussed before, the future of the GCAP program is by no means certain.
In the past, we have suggested that, should the F-35A prove itself with the RAF, that could open up the possibility of a follow-on purchase, and larger numbers of this version that would be a very obvious threat to the future of the Tempest.
A rendering of a pair of Tempests overflying the U.K. coastline. BAE Systems
That, however, likely depends on the Ministry of Defense solving the issues with the ongoing fielding of the F-35.
In summing up the U.K. F-35 program, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the chair of the Public Accounts Committee, likened the mismanagement to a homeowner choosing to delay making repairs to a leaky roof, noting that “making short-term cost decisions is famously inadvisable … and yet such decisions have been rife in the management of the F-35.”
The Public Accounts Committee doesn’t provide a final figure for the U.K. F-35 program’s whole-life cost but does state that the Ministry of Defense’s projection of £57 billion (around $75 billion) through to 2069 “is unrealistic.”
Meanwhile, the additional capabilities that are promised under the latest Block 4 standard will represent another huge investment, but one that is required to ensure the jets perform to their fullest potential. The implications of Block 4 are also yet to be fully understood in terms of cost perspective, but will certainly be very significant.
By way of comparison, the United Kingdom expects to pay £31 billion (around $40 billion) for the design and manufacture of its four new Dreadnought class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, including inflation over the life of the program.
The committee also notes that the Ministry of Defense’s figure does not include costs for personnel, fuel, and infrastructure.
While the financial side of the program is worrying, of more immediate concern for the U.K. Armed Forces is the fact that key capabilities are still missing from its F-35s. While full operating capability was recently declared, after demonstrating the ability to put 24 U.K.-owned F-35Bs on a single carrier, this milestone remains somewhat aspirational, since the personnel shortages are still to be properly addressed.
Alarmingly, for a jet that is the backbone of the Carrier Strike role, the Public Accounts Committee reiterates that the F-35 “will also not have the ability to attack ground targets from a safe distance until the early 2030s.”
This, according to the Chief of the Defense Staff, is the biggest concern of all.
The U.K. F-35’s current lack of long-range standoff weaponry has long been acknowledged as a significant shortfall.
Earlier this year, the National Audit Office (NAO), the U.K.’s independent public spending watchdog, stated the following:
“There are some important capabilities that the Ministry of Defense has delayed into the next decade. Most significantly, the F-35 does not have a standoff weapon to attack ground targets from a safe range, which will impact its effectiveness in contested environments.” The NAO added that this capability isn’t expected in full until the early 2030s.
Currently, the U.K. F-35B relies on the Paveway IV precision-guided bomb to attack surface targets.
Ultimately, it plans to integrate the Selected Precision Effects At Range (SPEAR) 3 standoff weapon, but this process has been repeatedly delayed, as you can read about here.
An artist’s impression of an F-35 armed with SPEAR 3 plus Meteor air-to-air missiles. MBDA
As an interim measure, the United Kingdom is now looking to provide its F-35Bs with the GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) II, a weapon better known as StormBreaker.
“To acquire a more capable interim air-to-surface weapon, the U.K. F-35 program has requested funding for Small Diameter Bombs,” the NAO said, referring to the SDB II.
However, the NAO also noted that the Ministry of Defense “has yet to provide this funding.”
When it comes to standoff air-to-ground weapons, it is important to note that, while the F-35 is hard to detect using fire-control radars, it is not invisible. In some cases, making a direct attack on a target is impossible in terms of survivability, making it necessary to employ standoff munitions to degrade hostile air defenses.
All in all, the Public Accounts Committee report paints a sorry picture of the U.K. F-35 program, with a culture of cost-cutting constraining its capabilities in the short term, while also increasing costs in the long term.
In order for the U.K. Armed Forces to get the most out of the F-35, which it describes as “the best fighter jet this nation has ever possessed,” the report concludes that the Ministry of Defense “must root out the short-termism, complacency, and miscalculation in the program.”
Nov. 24 (UPI) — Argentina has reported a record increase in syphilis infections this year, with cases up 20.5% compared to the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Health’s National Epidemiological Bulletin.
Officials say the country is experiencing the highest levels since systematic reporting began.
During the first 44 weeks of the year, health authorities recorded 36,702 infections, a figure that nearly matches the 36,917 cases reported in all of 2024 and well above the 30,445 cases registered in 2023.
National rates have also climbed steadily, rising from 56 cases per 100,000 people in 2019 to 93 in 2024.
The increase is visible across all regions and affects mostly young people. Seventy-six percent of confirmed cases involve individuals between the ages of 15 and 39, with the highest rates among those 20 to 29.
The surge is unfolding alongside a broader cultural environment among young Argentines. Trends on TikTok and Instagram often portray or normalize sex without condoms, and references to this practice appear frequently in music and social media videos.
The Ministry of Health says the rise reflects two main factors: sustained circulation of the infection and improved detection through the national surveillance system.
Argentina’s situation mirrors a wider regional trend. The Pan American Health Organization estimates that the Americas register more than 3.3 million new syphilis infections each year, with regional cases increasing by nearly 30% since 2020. The region also continues to report some of the highest levels of congenital syphilis in the world.
In response, representatives from 23 countries met in São Paulo in July to coordinate a regional strategy. The meeting produced a document calling for expanded access to testing and treatment, stronger surveillance and greater political commitment to contain the disease.
International health agencies warn that syphilis continues to rise globally and that its growth in the Americas is placing increasing pressure on public health systems, particularly among young adults and pregnant women.
The United States is asking the European Union (EU) to change its tech regulations before reducing U. S. tariffs on steel and aluminum from the EU. EU ministers wanted to discuss their July trade deal, which included cuts to U. S. tariffs on EU steel and removing them from goods like wine and spirits. However, U. S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated that the EU must first create a more balanced approach to its digital sector rules.
After a meeting with EU ministers, Lutnick mentioned they could address steel and aluminum issues together if the EU improved its regulations. European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic noted that he didn’t expect any immediate breakthroughs with the U. S. but was hopeful to begin discussions about steel solutions. The July trade agreement set U. S. tariffs at 15% on many EU goods, while the EU agreed to lower some of its duties on U. S. imports, with potential implementation not expected until March or April pending approval from European leaders.
The U. S. currently has a 50% tariff on metals and has also applied tariffs on related products, raising concerns in the EU about the impact on their trade agreement. The EU seeks to have more of its products subjected only to low tariffs and is open to discussing regulatory cooperation in various areas, including energy and economic security, particularly related to China.
Supporters of Chilean presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast look at their phones while awaiting election results in Santiago on November 16, aided by a fast Internet. Photo by Ailen Diaz/EPA
Nov. 24 (UPI) — The Chilean city of Valparaíso has the fastest fixed broadband Internet in the world, according to the Speedtest Global Index, which ranks average connection speeds based on user tests.
The port city leads the latest ranking with an average download speed of 398.21 megabits per second, surpassing major cities such as Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, which placed second with 376 Mbps and Lyon, France, which ranked third.
In the United States, Los Angeles is the first city to appear in the ranking, in 11th place, followed by New York in 12th.
Valparaíso ranked ahead of Chile’s capital, Santiago, because it sits in a strategic location for technology companies that use the city as a hub for developing fiber-optic infrastructure for Chile, South America and connections to Oceania.
“Valparaíso is the landing point for submarine cables such as Google’s Curie, América Móvil’s Mistral and SAC, which add capacity and redundancy to the connectivity ecosystem, while Google’s Humboldt transpacific cable with the Chilean government is set to land in Valparaíso in 2027,” Danilo Bórquez, who holds a doctorate in complex systems engineering and is a professor at the Adolfo Ibáñez University’s engineering school, told UPI.
He added that residents of Valparaíso have faster and more stable Wi-Fi.
“With more than 300 Mbps you can have several users online at the same time. Video calls run smoothly and game or photo downloads and backups are much faster. You can also hold classes or use educational platforms without interruptions, with materials downloading in seconds or minutes,” Bórquez said.
At the national level, fiber-optic adoption is high. “In Chile, it accounts for about 70% of fixed connections, which drives the typical speeds measured by Speedtest. There are companies that can migrate or extend fiber to another 4.3 million households in Chile, which increases the base of users with high-speed plans.”
Marco Aravena, director of Modernization and Digital Transformation and a computer engineering professor at the University of Valparaíso, told UPI that service providers come to the city to expand fiber-optic Internet access.
“In Valparaíso you have Las Torpederas beach, where one of the submarine cables that brings fiber-optic connections from other parts of the world comes ashore. We are one of the technology hubs through which internet arrives in Chile. It’s not that users connect directly to that fiber, but they have more direct access to it,” he said.
Experts say these factors make Valparaíso attractive for people who want to work in hybrid or remote roles.
“Valparaíso is becoming a hub that allows people to come live and work here because of its strong connectivity. It also attracts students because there are many universities in the city,” Aravena said.
However, the city has significant investment in technology and networks but little investment in infrastructure or economic development.
According to the latest 2024 Urban Quality of Life Index from the Catholic University, Valparaíso scored medium-high in connectivity and mobility, but low in housing and surroundings and medium-low in health and the environment.
The federal government seeks to develop tailored artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and drive significant cost savings by leveraging AWS’s dedicated capacity.
Published On 24 Nov 202524 Nov 2025
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Amazon is set to invest up to $50bn to expand artificial intelligence (AI) and supercomputing capacity for United States government customers, in one of the largest cloud infrastructure commitments targeted at the public sector.
The e-commerce giant announced the investment on Monday.
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The project, expected to break ground in 2026, will add nearly 1.3 gigawatts of new AI and high-performance computing capacity across AWS Top Secret, AWS Secret and AWS GovCloud regions through new data centres equipped with advanced computing and networking systems.
One gigawatt of computing power is roughly enough to power about 750,000 US households on average.
“This investment removes the technology barriers that have held the government back”, Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Matt Garman said.
AWS is already a major cloud provider to the US government, serving more than 11,000 government agencies.
Amazon’s initiative aims to provide federal agencies with enhanced access to a comprehensive suite of AWS AI services. These include Amazon SageMaker for model training and customisation, Amazon Bedrock for deploying AI models and agents and foundational models such as Amazon Nova and Anthropic Claude.
The federal government seeks to develop tailored AI solutions and drive significant cost savings by leveraging AWS’s dedicated and expanded capacity.
The push also comes as the US, along with other countries such as China, intensifies efforts to advance AI development and secure leadership in the emerging technology.
Tech companies, including OpenAI, Alphabet and Microsoft, are pouring billions of dollars into building out AI infrastructure, boosting demand for computing power required to support the services.
On Wall Street, Amazon’s stock was up 1.7 percent in midday trading.
Other tech stocks surged amid the recent investments. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, closed in on a $4 trillion valuation on Monday and was set to become only the fourth company to enter the exclusive club. Its stock was up 4.7 percent.
Last week, Nvidia announced expectations of higher fourth-quarter revenue — a month after the tech giant announced a partnership to build supercomputers for the US Department of Energy — a deal that sent the company’s valuation topping $5 trillion.
Nvidia stock was up by 1.8 percent in midday trading.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. It’s championship week in high school football. It’s also the 10-year anniversary of one of best and most entertaining high school basketball teams in history — the unbeaten 2015-16 Chino Hills Huskies, led by the Ball brothers
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LiAngelo Ball, center, is flanked by his brothers Lonzo, second from left, and LaMelo in 2016.
(Los Angeles Times)
High school basketball fans, sportswriters and coaches had the time of their lives watching the creation of Chino Hills’ 35-0 team from 2015, with brothers Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball in starring roles. They helped entertain and draw so many Oohs and Aahs that they became nationally recognized, along with their always talkative father, LaVar.
The tales of showing up with a lawn chair two hours before a game to make sure you got a seat before the gym sold out are legendary. The talent and chemistry of the Balls, along with Onyeka Okongwu and Eli Scott, was something to behold all the way to Chino Hills winning the state championship in March of 2016 in Sacramento.
Keawe Browne (2) celebrates after a blocked Mater Dei field-goal attempt gives Corona Centennial 28-27 win.
(Craig Weston)
Who had Santa Margarita facing Corona Centennial in Friday’s Southern Section Division 1 final at the Rose Bowl? Both teams earned the spot, the first time St. John Bosco or Mater Dei have failed to participate in the championship game since 2012.
Another one-handed catch of the year for Ty Plinski of Corona Centennial. Catalano scores on two-yard run. Centennial 21, Mater Dei 16 pic.twitter.com/SIcAOkcV34
Santa Margarita took care of business in the other semifinal to defeat Orange Lutheran. The Eagles are surging because of their terrific defense and the threat Trent Mosley offers any time he touches the ball. Here’s the report.
Crenshaw pulled off the win that few expected when the City Section season began last August. The Cougars handed Birmingham its first defeat after 55 consecutive wins over City opponents 12-7 in the City Open Division semifinals. What a coaching job by interim coach Terrence Whitehead. His team will face Carson for the City title on Saturday at L.A. Southwest College. Here’s a look at Crenshaw’s journey this season.
Carson first-year coach William Lowe has his team trying for a 12th City title.
(Nick Koza)
Carson is playing like a No. 1 seed after dominating Garfield in the semifinals. With quarterback Chris Fields’ ability to run or pass, the Colts will have an advantage against a Crenshaw team that hasn’t faced many teams with balanced offenses.
South Gate quarterback Michael Gonzalez tries to console William Smith of Dorsey in an act of sportsmanship after South Gate win.
City Section football championships: Friday at Birmingham Division II: Santee vs. Hawkins, 2 p.m. Division III: Cleveland vs. San Fernando, 6 p.m. Saturday at L.A. Southwest College Division I: South Gate vs. Marquez, 2 p.m Open Division: Crenshaw vs. Carson, 6 pm
In Division II, Cleveland rallied for a win over Fairfax and will face San Fernando. Here’s a report. In Division III, Hawkins will play Santee.
Basketball
Brandon McCoy of Sierra Canyon had nine dunks and 25 points in win over JSerra.
(Craig Weston)
The Trinity-Mission League Challenge at Pauley Pavilion produced lots of dunks and competitive games. The best game ended up being the last, with St. John Bosco beating Harvard-Westlake 57-55. Santa Margarita rallied for a 77-73 win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame behind 28 points from Brayden Kyman. Brandon McCoy had nine dunks in his Sierra Canyon debut, a win over JSerra.
We knew it would only take one game. JCrowe Jr (Inglewood) broke previous CIFSS record of 3,356 set in 2019 by Jarod Lucas (Los Altos, HH). Now has 3,374 pts. Also moves to third in state history. Next up will be No. 2 DeMarcus Nelson of Sac Sheldon at 3,462 pts https://t.co/zB8IkpKxyh
In girls basketball, defending Southern Section Open Division champion Ontarior Christian started with two wins and Kaleena Smith scoring 45 and 35 points.
Redondo Union is hosting a tournament beginning Monday that includes Etiwanda.
Harvard-Westlake unveiled freshman Lucia Khamenia, the sister of Nikolas. Here’s a report.
Legacy of the Kymans
Brayden Kyman of Santa Margarita.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
The Kymans have been a sports family for years. Bernie Kyman was a coach and athletic direct. Son Coley starred in football and volleyball at Reseda and Cal State Northridge. His son Jake won a CIF title at Santa Margarita before playing for UCLA basketball.
The Calabasas High girls tennis team won the Southern Section Division 2 championship.
(Courtesy Calabasas High)
Corona del Mar completed an unbeaten Southern Section girls tennis season with a victory over Portola in the Division 1 championship match. Here’s a report.
Calabasas defeated Harvard-Westlake for the Division 2 title. Here’s a report.
Alexa Guerrero holds the championship plaque as she and her Marshall teammates celebrate their City Section Open Division flag football championship win over Eagle Rock.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Marshall has climbed to the top in City Section flag football with a 20-0 win over Eagle Rock in the Open Division final.
Irvine senior Summer Wilson won the Southern Section Division 2 cross-country title.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
On the rain course at Mount San Antonio College, Summer Wilson ran away with the Division 2 championship at the Southern Section cross-country championships. Here’s the report.
The City championships were held at Elysian Park, and Palisades won boys and girls titles. Here’s the report.
Justin Utupo is out after one season as football coach at Long Beach Poly. The Jackrabbits (5-5) lost six players to ineligibility by the Southern Section and the school administration refused to allow the team to participate in the playoffs. The program has won 20 Southern Section football championships but last won a Division 1 title in 2012 under Raul Lara. Here’s the report. . . .
Aaron Huerta has resigned after one season as football coach at Bishop Alemany. . ..
The CIF state championship football games will be played Dec. 11-12 at Buena Park High, Fullerton High and Saddleback College. . . .
Bo Beatty, the co-head football coach at Bonita, has resigned to return to Azusa Pacific where he was a long-time assistant coach. Steve Bogan is the co-head coach. . . .
Defensive lineman James Moffat of Crespi has committed to UCLA. . . .
Santa Margarita won its third state title in girls golf at Poppy Hills Golf Course. . . .
It was the year of Newport Harbor in boys water polo. The team lost one match all season and avenged its only defeat with a win over Cathedral Catholic in the regional final. . . .
Kacey Norwood has been named interim girls’ lacrosse coach at St. Margaret’s. . . .
JD Hill, a defensive lineman at Mission Viejo, has committed to Washington. . . .
Cooper Javorsky, a lineman from San Juan Hills who decommitted as a UCLA recruit after the firing of DeShaun Foster, has recommitted to the Bruins. . . .
Former Oaks Christian and UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)
Former Oaks Christian and UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger is having a successful rookie season for the Cleveland Browns. After being selected No. 33 overall in the NFL draft, he’s been starting and earning rave reviews.
From NFHS.org, a story of sportsmanship across the country in high school sports.
From the Las Vegas Review Journal, a story on changes in Nevada’s football playoff system that will allow Bishop Gorman only one nonleague game starting in 2026.
Tweets you might have missed
Here’s Joe Sterling’s three for Harvard-Westlake’s win over San Gabriel Academy at the buzzer. The announcers got a little excited. https://t.co/RcE82ZepiN
There are now 58 schools working with Southern Section in student media projects ranging from live streaming to photography. So many teenagers learning on-the-job lessons, from play by play to directing to using a camera to what an ethernet cable does.
South Gate wants to play its semifinal playoff game on Saturday so badly at home that it’s broken out a tarp so the City Section officials can’t deem it unplayable after expected rain Thursday night. I thought only baseball coaches knew about tarps. pic.twitter.com/tKBsdyrDRR
What a debut for 7-foot-4 Cherif Millogo of St. Francis. He made all 13 of his shots, including seven dunks. Finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists in win over Arleta. You’re watching a future NBA player.
It’s the 20th anniversary of the most unlikely Division 1 final: Loyola vs. Esperanza. Unlikely to ever see again at the highest level. So much has changed in 20 years. https://t.co/3yRINjNXkZ
From the Twilight Zone. Ten years ago QB Anthony Catalano stats in Corona Centennial semifinal win over Mater Dei. 19/31, 291 yards. On Friday brother Dominick Catalano stats in win over Mater Dei; 18/30 289 yards. Amazing.
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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Haytham Ali Tabatabai is Hezbollah’s most senior figure to be killed since a ceasefire began in November 2024.
An Israeli air strike on Beirut has killed Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah’s chief of staff.
Tabatabai was the highest-level Hezbollah official targeted by Israel since a ceasefire came into force a year ago between the armed group and Israel’s military.
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There have been frequent Israeli breaches of the agreement, but observers say the latest attack is a major escalation.
So why is this strike coming now – and what are the implications?
Presenter:
Imran Khan
Guests:
Joe Macaron – Geopolitical analyst specialising in US strategy in the Middle East
Nadim Houry – Executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative
Alon Pinkas – Former Israeli ambassador and consul general of Israel in New York
European allies of Ukraine have given a cautious welcome to efforts to refine a United States peace proposal initially criticised for appearing to be weighted in favour of Russia’s maximalist demands.
The leaders Germany, Finland, Poland and the United Kingdom were among those agreeing on Monday that progress had been made in the previous day’s talks between Washington and Kyiv in Geneva that yielded what the US and Ukraine called a “refined peace framework”.
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Still, the European leaders stressed work remained to be done.
“It was possible to clear up some questions, but we also know that there won’t be peace in Ukraine overnight,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding that the peace plan initially drafted by the US had been “modified in significant parts”.
He welcomed the “interim result”.
“The next step must be that Russia must come to the table,” he said from Angola, where he was attending a summit between African and European Union countries. “This is a laborious process. It will move forward at most in smaller steps this week. I do not expect there to be a breakthrough this week.”
US President Donald Trump had blindsided Kyiv and its European countries last week with a 28-point peace plan criticised by some as a Russian wish list that called for Ukraine to cede more territory, accept limits on its military and abandon its ambitions to join NATO.
Britain, France and Germany responded by drawing up a counter-proposal that would cease fighting at present front lines, leaving discussions of territory for later, and include a NATO-style US security guarantee for Ukraine, according to a draft seen by Reuters news agency.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Ukraine’s allies in the “coalition of the willing” – a broad term for about 30 countries supporting Kyiv – will hold talks about the negotiations on Tuesday by video.
The German Foreign Office said that chief diplomats of Germany, Finland, France, the UK, Italy and Poland consulted Monday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha on further steps toward ending the war.
Also attending the summit in Angola, European Council President Antonio Costa said there was “new momentum” in negotiations.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union would “engage further tomorrow with our partners from the coalition of the willing”.
‘Big progress’
On Monday, Trump indicated Sunday’s talks had gone well.
“Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine??? Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening,” the US President wrote on Truth Social.
Trump had given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is under the doubled pressure of Russia’s continued advance on the front line and a corruption scandal that has tainted his administration, until Thursday to agree to a framework to end the war. He also accused Zelenskyy of showing “zero gratitude” for peace efforts.
Zelenskyy said on X on Monday that he was expecting a full report that evening on the Geneva talks.
“To achieve real peace, more, more is needed. Of course, we all continue working with partners, especially the United States, and look for compromises that strengthen but not weaken us,” he said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also said on Monday that negotiations were a “delicate matter” since “no one wants to discourage Americans and President Trump from having the United States on our side in this process”.
The Kremlin said it had not been informed of the results of the Geneva talks, but that it was aware that “adjustments” were made to the US proposal.
In a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated his view that the initial US plan could “serve as a basis for a final peace settlement”.
During the call, Erdogan said Turkiye was ready to support efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine together, including helping to facilitate direct talks between the two.
However, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said the European plan appeared “entirely unconstructive and unsuitable for us”, according to a report in the Russian state-run TASS news agency.
Reporting from Moscow, Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova said Russia was unlikely to accept the European revisions.
“If all Russian conditions and interests are not taken into account, Russia is ready to continue fighting because, according to Vladimir Putin, Russia is pretty successful on the battlefield and it wants to achieve its goals,” she said.
In comments made by video to a meeting at the Swedish Parliament, Zelenskyy had indicated that territory would still be a key sticking point, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of seeking “legal recognition for what he has stolen”.
Grim reality
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has decimated the east of the country, forcing millions to flee their homes, ravaging towns and cities, and killing tens of thousands in Europe’s worst conflict since World War II.
On Monday, the war continued to grind on, with Russian forces keeping up their deadly and devastating strikes on civilian areas while making battlefield advances in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhia region.
Russian drones hit residential areas of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city overnight, killing four people and wounding 13, including two children, authorities said.
On Monday, Russian forces struck the city of Pavlohrad in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region with drones, wounding three people and damaging industrial facilities, according to regional authorities.
That morning, Russian shelling killed a 61-year-old woman in Kherson, according to the military administration of the city in southern Ukraine.
Across the border, Russian air defences downed Ukrainian drones en route to Moscow, forcing three airports serving the capital to pause flights.
A reported Ukrainian drone strike on Sunday knocked power out for thousands of residents near Moscow, a rare reversal of Russian attacks on energy targets that regularly cause power blackouts for millions of Ukrainians.
Sudan’s army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan blasted a new US-led ceasefire plan as “the worst one presented,” accusing mediators — including the United Arab Emirates — of bias. The RSF says it accepted the truce. Sudan’s 30-month war has killed tens of thousands and is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Young Palestinians in Gaza have used parts and fuel from abandoned Israeli military vehicles to create a pump to supply clean water for their community.
A Kohl’s department store pictured April 2020 in Alameda, Calif. On Wednesday, the Wisconsin-headquartered company’s named interim CEO Michael Bender its third chief executive in a three year period in a unanimous move effective Sunday. File Photo by John G. Mabanglo/EPA
Nov. 24 (UPI) — Khol’s on Monday announced interim CEO Michael Bender will be officially named the company’s cheif executive.
Bender will be the Wisconsin-headquartered company’s third CEO in a three-year period in a unanimous move effective Sunday.
“As previously shared, the board engaged an external firm and conducted a comprehensive search,” according to Kohl’s board Chairman John Schlifske.
Schlifske said at the conclusion of its search effort, the board had “enthusiastically” appointed Bender in its unanimous vote to retain Bender.
Declining sales, meanwhile, have been met with leadership issues.
Bender stepped into the CEO role on a temporary basis in May and was appointed after the then-CEO Ashley Buchanan was fired over conflict of interest issues.
“While we’re pleased by our recent progress, we’re deeply motivated to accelerate our transformation — together with our partners, vendors and incredible Kohl’s associates all across the country,” he said in a statement.
It arrived as Kohl’s seeks to spur growth in sales at its more than 1,160 store locations.
Bender, who joined Kohl’s after years in management at other retailers such as Walmart and Victoria’s Secret, has been on the Kohl’s company board since June 2019.
He became board chair last year in May.
Monday’s announcement arrived the day before the company was expected to report its third-quarter fiscal earnings Tuesday.
Talks in Geneva between the US and Ukraine aimed at ending the war with Russia have concluded, with officials from both sides reporting “progress” and an intention to continue working.
However, no details have emerged on how to bridge the considerable divide between Moscow and Kyiv over territorial issues and security guarantees for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the “important steps” that had been made but warned that the “main problem” facing the peace talks was Vladimir Putin’s demand for legal recognition of Russian-occupied territories in eastern Ukraine.
“This would break the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he said, highlighting concerns that Moscow could be rewarded for its aggression with land it seized by force.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump suggested on social media that “something good just may be happening”, but with the caveat: “Don’t believe it until you see it.”
The Geneva talks did not involve Russian representatives and the Kremlin said it hadn’t received any information on the outcome of the discussions. Spokesman Dmitri Peskov noted Moscow was aware that “adjustments” were made to the plan that had been welcomed by Putin.
A 28-point peace plan drafted by US and Russian officials was presented to Ukraine last week. Several of its elements seemed heavily geared towards Moscow’s longstanding demands, sparking consternation in Kyiv and its European allies.
Comments by Trump which suggested Ukraine had until Thursday to accept the deal or face serious cuts in US support contributed to creating a sense of urgency across Europe and talks between Ukraine and US officials were hastily convened.
By Sunday evening US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a “tremendous” amount of progress had been made at the talks. “I honestly believe we’ll get there,” he said.
But some European leaders have been more cautious. “I am not sure if we are closer to peace,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said discussions would be a “lengthy, long-lasting process” and that he did not expect any breakthroughs this week.
Europeans were left scrambling for a seat at the table last week, after they were seemingly caught unawares when the US draft peace plan was presented.
A counter-proposal – reportedly drafted by Britain, France and Germany – excluded any recognition of Russian-held regions, raised Ukraine’s allowed army size and left the door open to Ukraine joining Nato.
Rubio said he was not aware of the plan and on Monday Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov rubbished it as “completely unconstructive”.
Since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has consistently demanded full Ukrainian withdrawal from the whole of the eastern Donbas region.
But Kyiv and its European partners are weary of any settlement which would jeopardise the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty – and Zelensky has repeatedly warned that giving up the Donbas would leave Ukraine vulnerable to Russian attacks in the future.
Despite last week’s frenzied diplomacy the next steps in the process are unclear.
The expectation is that Zelensky will soon personally speak to Trump, after which a new draft peace plan will be eventually presented to Moscow. There were no plans for a meeting this week between Russian and US negotiators, the Kremlin said.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said there was still work to do for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine. A virtual “coalition of the willing” meeting will take place on Tuesday to discuss developments, he added.
Who: Chelsea vs Barcelona What: League Phase, UEFA Champions League Where: Stamford Bridge, London, UK When: Tuesday at 8pm (20:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Chelsea will host Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday in a hugely consequential Matchday 5 League Phase clash in the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
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Chelsea and Barcelona, both former Champions League winners, head into this highly anticipated showdown with an identical seven points from their opening four fixtures, making this match pivotal as both sides aim to climb the standings in search of automatic top-eight qualification into the last-16 of the competition.
The star-studded clubs are riding recent hot streaks with Chelsea, bolstered by a trio of recent wins against Tottenham, Wolves and Burnley, closing in on the Premier League’s top spot behind table-topping Arsenal, while reigning La Liga champions Barcelona are again competing with archrival Real Madrid for the domestic title.
Here is all to know before their epic clash at Stamford Bridge:
What happened in Chelsea’s last Premier League match?
Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez earned Chelsea a 2-0 victory at lowly Burnley on Saturday.
The result moved the Blues past Manchester City and into outright second on the English Premier League (EPL) table behind leaders Arsenal.
Enzo Maresca’s side will clash with the Gunners next Sunday in a top-of-the-table premiership showdown at Stamford Bridge.
What happened in Barcelona’s last La Liga match?
Barcelona secured a dominant 4-0 victory over 10-man Athletic Bilbao on Saturday in their first match back at their home venue Nou Camp since May 2023.
Ferran Torres had two goals for Barca with Robert Lewandowski and Fermin Lopez also adding to the scoresheet.
Athletic lost midfielder Oihan Sancet to a red card in the 54th minute after he was sent off for a crude challenge on Lopez.
Lewandowski, who scored the opener, said he will remember kicking the first goal at the team’s rebuilt Nou Camp stadium “forever”.
“Today was a special day, not only for me but for everyone. Because of this I’m very happy that I could score the first goal, coming back to the Nou Camp,” Lewandowski told Barca One.
“I have so much experience playing in different stadiums, but here is something special. I’m very proud of myself and also of the team because we did a great job today and we won.”
Lewandowski (#9) opened the scoring against Athletic Bilbao after four minutes to get Barca’s inauguration party started at the Nou Camp after two and a half years playing away from their home stadium [Josep Lago/AFP]
What happened in the last UCL League Phase match for both clubs?
Chelsea were held to a shock 2-2 draw by Azerbaijan side Qarabag in their last outing on November 5, while Barcelona had to rally from a goal down and split the points in a 3-3 result against Club Brugge in Belgium.
Where do Chelsea and Barcelona sit on the UCL League Phase standings?
Barcelona are currently 11th on the UEFA League Phase standings with Chelsea right behind in 12th position. Both sides have two wins, one draw and one loss from their four fixtures.
Teams need to finish the League Phase standings in a top-eight position to secure direct qualification into the round of 16. Those clubs that finish in ladder positions 9-to-24 will enter into a home and away playoffs to reach the last-16.
Where did Barcelona finish in last season’s Champions League?
The Catalan club were widely expected to reach the Champions League final but were eliminated by Inter, who staged a late comeback in the second leg of their record-equalling semifinal.
Palmer out of Barca clash
Chelsea star Cole Palmer is close to returning but will miss the UCL clash with Barcelona before the top-of-the-table Premier League showdown against Arsenal, Maresca said on Monday.
Palmer, who suffered a groin injury in August before returning with back-to-back goals against Brentford and Bayern Munich, was nearing his comeback, but an accident at home delayed his return.
The 23-year-old England international stubbed his toe on a door during the night, resulting in a fracture.
“Cole is wearing a (protective) boot,” Maresca told reporters.
“We don’t know when he will be back but for sure it will be soon. He’s already on the pitch, he’s already touching the ball and the feeling (for him) is good.
“I don’t think he will be available for these two games (Barca and Arsenal), but he is doing well.”
Injured Chelsea star Cole Palmer is close to returning to the training pitch but will miss this week’s important Barcelona and Arsenal fixtures [File: Jan Kruger/Getty Images]
Barca’s Lopez showing summer suitors Chelsea what they missed
Fermin Lopez, 22, is establishing himself as a regular starter for manager Hansi Flick’s side, even though outside of Spain he is not yet a household name.
Chelsea know plenty about Lopez, though, having had a 40-million-euro ($46m) bid rebuffed by Barcelona in the summer. In Tuesday’s Champions League fixture, the attacking midfielder will be one of their main goal threats.
Flick was eager to keep Lopez, while Barca were open to selling him at the right price, which Chelsea did not reach.
“I’m convinced that he will stay, but in the end I don’t know what happens. We have to wait. I am really happy when the market is closed,” said Flick in August, eventually getting his wish.
Despite his improvement and obvious utility for Barca – or maybe even because of it – he is an asset the Catalan giants could cash in.
If he shines at Stamford Bridge, it would be no surprise to see Chelsea’s interest in the midfielder reawaken and his price tag rise further.
Barcelona’s Spanish midfielder #16 Fermin Lopez is a rising star in La Liga [File: Lluis Gene/AFP]
Form guide: last five matches
Chelsea: W-L-W-W-W (Premier League, most recent result last)
Barcelona: W-L-W-W-W (La Liga, most recent result last)
Head-to-head: Chelsea-Barcelona
The two clubs have faced each other 14 times, with both teams winning four times while six ended as draws.
The sides last met at the round of 16 in the 2017-2018 Champions League with Barcelona progressing to the quarterfinals 4-1 on aggregate. Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi was the standout in the second leg with two goals – including his 100th UEFA Champions League goal – on the night.
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his 100th UEFA Champions League goal against Chelsea in their UEFA Champions League last-16 second leg match at the Nou Camp, Barcelona, Spain on March 14, 2018 [Albert Gea/Reuters]
Chelsea’s team news
Oft-injured Reece James was taken off at halftime of Saturday’s EPL fixture at Burnley, but the Chelsea captain’s early finish was preplanned and not the result of a new injury, according to Maresca, so he is expected to be available for team selection.
“The idea was to manage Reece,” said Maresca. “This is the reason why he played 45 minutes [only]. It was planned.
“It’s not easy, because me personally, I would like Reece to continue, but we need to protect Reece.”
French centre-back Wesley Fofana, who was omitted from the matchday squad against Burnley, is believed to be match fit ahead of the Barca clash.
Levi Colwill (knee), Dario Essugo (thigh) and Romeo Lavia (thigh) all remain sidelined for the Blues.
On-loan Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford missed Barca’s 4-0 victory over Bilbao on Saturday with illness but was back on the training pitch the following day, prompting rumours that he might suit up against Chelsea on Tuesday.
First-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will miss the fixture as he continues to recover from a back issue. Joan Garcia will stand in for the German.
Pedri (hamstring) and Gavi (knee) are unavailable for the La Liga champions.
Dynamic winger Raphinha, who returned on the weekend from a hamstring injury, is a strong possibility to regain his starting role against the Blues.
Barcelona’s possible starting XI
J. Garcia (goalkeeper); Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Casado, De Jong; Yamal, Lopez, Torres; Lewandowski
Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford, who is battling illness, might still play in Tuesday’s important Champions League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge [File: Quique Garcia/EPA]
China and Germany have moved quickly to mend trade tensions that escalated after Beijing restricted exports of rare earths and chips, disruptions that have snarled German production lines and prompted calls to “de-risk” supply chains. Premier Li Qiang met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa, pitching closer collaboration in strategic industries including new energy, smart manufacturing, biomedicine, hydrogen technology, and intelligent driving. German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and top diplomat Johann Wadephul have also resumed high-level dialogue with their Chinese counterparts. China is Germany’s top European trade partner, with German auto, chemicals, and pharmaceutical firms heavily reliant on Chinese markets.
Why It Matters
Rare earths and other strategic components are critical to global high-tech and industrial production. China’s curbs on exports earlier this year revealed vulnerabilities in Germany’s manufacturing base, including autos and electronics, and underscored Europe’s reliance on Chinese supply chains. Restoring dialogue signals Beijing’s willingness to stabilize industrial flows while asserting its role as a global supplier. For Germany, balancing economic dependence on China with political pressure from allies like the U.S. highlights the ongoing challenge of managing strategic supply risks without alienating a key trading partner.
German industry particularly automakers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and advanced manufacturing stands to benefit directly from eased export controls. German policymakers, led by Chancellor Merz and Finance Minister Klingbeil, are focused on securing reliable access to rare earths and high-tech inputs while navigating geopolitical tensions. China’s government and state-backed firms aim to maintain Germany as a top European market and investor, leveraging bilateral ties to offset U.S. trade and technology pressure. The European Union observes closely, given implications for broader supply-chain strategies and collective European responses to China’s industrial policies.
What’s Next
Chancellor Merz is expected to visit China soon to meet President Xi Jinping, while diplomatic channels with Foreign Minister Wadephul are resuming. Both countries are likely to deepen engagement in strategic industries to reduce bottlenecks in rare earths, chips, and emerging tech sectors. Germany will continue to balance economic pragmatism with pressure from EU allies and the U.S. on issues like human rights, industrial subsidies, and supply-chain resilience. China may also push for policy alignment or reduced interference on geopolitical matters as a precondition for deeper cooperation.
Drug cartels in Mexico are recruiting children and forcing them to become professional killers. Rights groups warn hundreds of thousands of minors are at risk. Al Jazeera’s John Holman gained rare access to speak to child hitmen committing murder for money.
A boy who grew up during Syria’s war reveals the untold origins of the conflict and the fight for his nation’s freedom.
In 2017, Al Jazeera broadcast a documentary by Clover Films that sought to highlight the true origins of the Syrian civil war. By that year, international sympathy for the rebel cause had diminished dramatically as Western media adopted the accepted mainstream position that groups such as al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and even ISIL (ISIS) had been behind the revolution. (ISIL didn’t even exist at the time of the uprising.) The Boy Who Started the Syrian War would change the narrative.
Now, with the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime along with its army and militia, the Shabiha, it’s time to meet once again with the surviving characters from the original film. One of those is Mouawiya Syasneh, who had laid down his school satchel and picked up a gun to fight with the Free Syrian Army.
Federal Constabulary troops stand guard Monday outside the regional headquarters of the force in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, following a deadly attack by militants. Photo by Bilawal Arbab/EPA
Nov. 24 (UPI) — At least three officers of Pakistan’s Federal Constabulary were killed Monday and 12 people, including civilians, were injured in a suicide bombing at the force’s regional headquarters in Peshawar in the northwest of the country.
Two loud explosions were heard coming from the compound at about 8:10 a.m. local time, with an official saying five security officials and seven civilians had been injured.
Calling it a “foiled terrorist plot,” authorities said two armed attackers were shot dead before they were able to enter the building.
“Initially, three militants tried to attack the headquarters. One terrorist blew himself up at the gate, while two others tried to enter the premises but were gunned down by FC personnel,” Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Mian Saeed Ahmad told reporters.
Ahmad said authorities were already on high alert due to the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province where Peshawar is located, which borders Afghanistan, and where the Pakistan Taliban, also known as Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan, has carried out a series of deadly attacks.
A TTP splinter group called Jamatul Ahrar said it carried out the attack.
“The perpetrators of this incident should be identified as soon as possible and brought to justice,” said Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The Federal Constabulary is a national paramilitary police force responsible for internal security as well as tackling organized crime and drug production and trafficking.
Monday’s attack came two weeks after a suicide bomber killed 12 people and injured 36 after detonating a car bomb outside a court building in Islamabad, which Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asim blamed on the TTP and its backers in Afghanistan.
The government said the Taliban regime in Kabul backs the TTP, which has been waging a campaign of violence against Shiite Muslims in Pakistan and launching attacks against Pakistan’s military and government in a bid to replace the secular state with an Islamic one.
Tensions escalated in early October when Pakistan mounted airstrikes on TTP targets in Kabul and three other cities. The Taliban responded by launching deadly attacks along its border with Pakistan in which 23 soldiers were killed and at least 29 were injured.
Pakistan carried out retaliatory strikes that officials said killed 200 Taliban-backed Afghan militants and claimed Pakistani forces had destroyed Afghan terrorist training camps.
In September, six soldiers were killed in an attack on an FC compound in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, 100 miles southwest of Peshawar. Five militants that authorities said belonged to the TTP were killed in the ensuing firefight.
The TTP is proscribed by the United States and Britain, among others, as a foreign terror organization.
Leading tech companies are in a race to release and improve artificial intelligence (AI) products, leaving users in the United States to puzzle out how much of their personal data could be extracted to train AI tools.
Meta (which owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp), Google and LinkedIn have all rolled out AI app features that have the capacity to draw on users’ public profiles or emails. Google and LinkedIn offer users ways to opt out of the AI features, while Meta’s AI tool provides no means for its users to say “no, thanks.”
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“Gmail just flipped a dangerous switch on October 10, 2025 and 99% of Gmail users have no idea,” a November 8 Instagram post said.
Posts warned that the platforms’ AI tool rollouts make most private information available for tech company harvesting. “Every conversation, every photo, every voice message, fed into AI and used for profit,” a November 9 X video about Meta said.
Starting December 16th, Meta will start feeding all your data to AI. This video is an instructional on how to turn these settings off. pic.twitter.com/BUJagaMr5b
Technology companies are rarely fully transparent when it comes to the user data they collect and what they use it for, Krystyna Sikora, a research analyst for the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund, told PolitiFact.
“Unsurprisingly, this lack of transparency can create significant confusion that in turn can lead to fear mongering and the spread of false information about what is and is not permissible,” Sikora said.
The best – if tedious – way for people to know and protect their privacy rights is to read the terms and conditions, since it often explicitly outlines how the data will be used and whether it will be shared with third parties, Sikora said. The US doesn’t have any comprehensive federal laws on data privacy for technology companies.
Here’s what we learned about how each platform’s AI is handling your data:
Social media claim: “Starting December 16th Meta will start reading your DMs, every conversation, every photo, every voice message fed into AI and used for profit.” – November 9 X post with 1.6 million views as of November 19.
The facts: Meta announced a new policy to take effect December 16, but that policy alone does not result in your direct messages, photos and voice messages being fed into its AI tool. The policy involves how Meta will customise users’ content and advertisements based on how they interact with Meta AI.
For example, if a user interacts with Meta’s AI chatbot about hiking, Meta might start showing that person recommendations for hiking groups or hiking boots.
But that doesn’t mean your data isn’t being used for AI purposes. Although Meta doesn’t use people’s private messages in Instagram, WhatsApp or Messenger to train its AI, it does collect user content that is set to “public” mode. This can include photos, posts, comments and reels. If the user’s Meta AI conversations involve religious views, sexual orientation and racial or ethnic origin, Meta says the system is designed to avoid parlaying these interactions into ads. If users ask questions of Meta AI using its voice feature, Meta says the AI tool will use the microphone only when users give permission.
There is a caveat: The tech company says its AI might use information about people who don’t have Meta product accounts if their information appears in other users’ public posts. For example, if a Meta user mentions a non-user in a public image caption, that photo and caption could be used to train Meta AI.
Can you opt out? No. If you are using Meta platforms in these ways – making some of your posts public and using the chatbot – your data could be used by Meta AI. There is no way to deactivate Meta AI in Instagram, Facebook or Threads. WhatsApp users can deactivate the option to talk with Meta AI in their chats, but this option is available only per chat, meaning that you must deactivate the option in each chat’s advanced privacy settings.
The X post inaccurately advised people to submit this form to opt out. But the form is simply a way for users to report when Meta’s AI supplies an answer that contains someone’s personal information.
David Evan Harris, who teaches AI ethics at the University of California, Berkeley, told PolitiFact that because the US has no federal regulations about privacy and AI training, people have no standardised legal right to opt out of AI training in the way that people in countries such as Switzerland, the United Kingdom and South Korea do.
Even when social media platforms provide opt-out options for US customers, it’s often difficult to find the settings to do so, Harris said.
Deleting your Meta accounts does not eliminate the possibility of Meta AI using your past public data, Meta’s spokesperson said.
Google
Social media claim: “Did you know Google just gave its AI access to read every email in your Gmail – even your attachments?” – November 8 Instagram post with more than 146,000 likes as of November 19.
The facts: Google has a host of products that interact with private data in different ways. Google announced on November 5 that its AI product, Gemini Deep Research, can connect to users’ other Google products, including Gmail, Drive and Chat. But, as Forbes reported, users must first give permission to employ the tool.
Users who want to allow Gemini Deep Research to have access to private information across products can choose what data sources to employ, including Google search, Gmail, Drive and Google Chat.
There are other ways Google collects people’s data:
Through searches and prompts in Gemini apps, including its mobile app, Gemini in Chrome or Gemini in another web browser
Any video or photo uploads that the user entered into Gemini
Through interactions with apps such as YouTube and Spotify, if users give permission
Through message and phone calls apps, including call logs and message logs, if users give permission.
A Google spokesperson told PolitiFact the company doesn’t use this information to train AI when registered users are under age 13.
Google can also access people’s data when they have smart features activated in their Gmail and Google Workplace settings (that are automatically on in the US), which gives Google consent to draw on email content and user activity data to help users compose emails or suggest Google Calendar events. With optional paid subscriptions, users can access additional AI features, including in-app Gemini summaries.
Turning off Gmail’s smart features can stop Google’s AI from accessing Gmail, but it doesn’t stop Google’s access to the Gemini app, which users can either download or access in a browser.
A California lawsuit accuses Gemini of spying on users’ private communications. The lawsuit says an October policy change gives Gemini default access to private content such as emails and attachments in people’s Gmail, Chat and Meet. Before October, users had to manually allow Gemini to access the private content; now, users must go into their privacy settings to disable it. The lawsuit claims the Google policy update violates California’s 1967 Invasion of Privacy Act, a law that prohibits unauthorised wiretapping and recording confidential communications without consent.
Can you opt out? If people don’t want their conversations used to train Google AI, they can use “temporary” chats or chat without signing into their Gemini accounts. Doing that means Gemini can’t save a person’s chat history, a Google spokesperson said. Otherwise, opting out of having Google’s AI in Gmail, Drive and Meet requires turning off smart features in settings.
LinkedIn
Social media claim: Starting November 3, “LinkedIn will begin using your data to train AI.” – November 2 Instagram post with more than 18,000 likes as of November 19.
The facts: LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, announced on its website that starting November 3, it will use some US members’ data to train content-generating AI models.
The data the AI collects includes details from people’s profiles and public content that users post.
The training does not draw on information from people’s private messages, LinkedIn said.
LinkedIn also said, aside from the AI data access, that Microsoft started receiving information about LinkedIn members – such as profile information, feed activity and ad engagement – as of November 3 in order to target users with personalised ads.
Can you opt out? Yes. Autumn Cobb, a LinkedIn spokesperson, confirmed to PolitiFact that members can opt out if they don’t want their content used for AI training purposes. They can also opt out of receiving targeted, personalised ads.
To remove your data from being used for training purposes, go to data privacy, click on the option that says “Data for Generative AI Improvement” and then turn off the feature that says “use my data for training content creation AI models.”
And to opt out of personalised ads, go to advertising data in settings, and turn off ads on LinkedIn and the option that says “data sharing with our affiliates and select partners”.
