Sunday, December 21

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Princess Catherine, Donald Trump and Joe Rogan among Time magazine Person of the Year 2024 shortlist
World News

Princess Catherine, Donald Trump and Joe Rogan among Time magazine Person of the Year 2024 shortlist

By Jessica Riga, ABC Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on 6 November 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: CHIP SOMODEVILLA / Getty Images via AFP Time magazine's shortlist for their annual Person of the Year honour features royalty, political power players and podcasting chart-toppers. Catherine, Princess of Wales, is among the 10 figures selected by the publication, along with US president elect-Donald Trump, who was bestowed with the title back in 2016. Since 1927, Time magazine has named a person, group or concept that it argues "had the biggest impact - for good or for ill - on the world over the previous 12 months". Last year, superstar Taylor Swift was named T...
Israel has ‘destroyed the most important military sites in Syria’: war monitor
World News

Israel has ‘destroyed the most important military sites in Syria’: war monitor

Smoke billows on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus following Israeli airstrikes on December 9, 2024. Photo: AFP / Aaref Watad A war monitor said on Tuesday that Israel had "destroyed the most important military sites in Syria" with a flurry of air strikes since the fall of president Bashar al-Assad's government. Israel, which borders Syria, sent troops into a buffer zone on the east of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights after Assad's fall, in what Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described as a "limited and temporary step" for "security reasons". This picture taken from the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights shows smoke billowing above the Syrian Governorate of Quneitra during Israeli bombardment, on December 9, 2024. Photo: AFP / Jalaa Marey It has also carried out "about 250 ai...
Sweetened beverages can raise risk of cardiovascular diseases: Study
Health

Sweetened beverages can raise risk of cardiovascular diseases: Study

A large-scale Swedish study on Monday suggested that drinking sweetened drinks can significantly increase your risk of serious cardiovascular diseases like stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. The study also showed that eating too much-added sugar can increase the risk of stroke or aneurysm. However, limited consumption of treats can be safe. “Consuming sweet drinks was worse for your health than any other form of sugar," noted the study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health. Suzanne Janzi, a doctoral candidate at Lund University said that the sweetened beverages, which contain liquid sugars, "typically provide less satiety than solid forms" Janzi said this makes people feel less satiated "potentially leading to overconsumption”. Moreover, unlike treats that a...
Suspect in killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson charged with murder
World News

Suspect in killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson charged with murder

adds video By Julio-Cesar Chavez, Andrew Hay and Joseph Ax for Reuters New York prosecutors have filed a murder charge against the suspect in the killing of a UnitedHealth executive, a brazen shooting that set off a manhunt that culminated in his capture in Pennsylvania earlier on Monday. The action brought an end to a tense five-day manhunt for the suspected killer. The suspect, identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, was captured in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after he was spotted eating at a McDonald's by a customer and an employee who believed he resembled the gunman, officials said at a news conference. When approached by two police officers inside the McDonald's and asked if he had recently been in New York, Mangione began to shake and went quiet, one of the responding officers said at a pre...
Syria’s rebels work to form government, restore order
World News

Syria’s rebels work to form government, restore order

By Maya Gebeily and Michelle Nichols for Reuters Syrians sit on an abandoned government tank in front of a slogan that reads "We are your men, Bashar" and "Long Live Syria", in the Damascus suburb of Daraya. Photo: AFP / Rami Al Sayed Syrian banks, oil sector set to resume work on Tuesday US seeking ways to engage with Syrian rebel leaders now in charge Israel criticized by Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia for seizing Syria buffer zone The lightning overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad has left Syrians, countries in the region and world powers nervous about what comes next, as the rebel alliance takes its first steps in a government transition. The United Nations Security Council met behind closed doors late on Monday, and diplomats said they were still in shock at how quickly Assad...
Sustainable Christmas shopping guide: fashion editor Bay Garnett on how to find unique and chic gifts
Life Style

Sustainable Christmas shopping guide: fashion editor Bay Garnett on how to find unique and chic gifts

Few people know London’s second-hand and vintage scene as well as Bay Garnett. The author and fashion stylist is the city’s best-known ‘thrifter’ — and a major advocate for sustainable style. So who better to guide you on how to shop smarter this Christmas? From the charity shops worth rooting around in, to the better-for-the-planet boutique and indie labels to know — and how not to shop — these are Bay’s rules for finding truly unique gifts.Take heed and you’ll be top everyone’s nice list for 2025...If I’m staying with people then I make a real effort to get them something great, because I think it makes them feel special. I try to buy them vintage because then it’s a one-off. It’s always a gamble but if it’s a good friend it usually pays off and they’re likely to love it! So it might b...
Suspect detained after CEO killing had document about motive, NYPD says
World News

Suspect detained after CEO killing had document about motive, NYPD says

A booking photo, taken on 9 December 2024, obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections shows Luigi Mangione. Photo: AFP / Pennsylvania Department of Corrections A man arrested in connection with the shooting of an insurance executive in New York was carrying a handwritten document suggesting he had "ill will towards corporate America", US police say. Luigi Mangione, 26, has been charged with weapons and other offences after he was arrested at a Pennsylvania McDonald's. A customer recognised his face from media coverage and notified an employee, who called police, officers said. They said Mangione initially produced a fake ID when approached by officers at the McDonald's. What we know about Luigi Mangione When they asked him to remove his face mask, they recognised him as a ...
Benjamin Netanyahu to take the stand for the first time in his corruption trial | World News
Business

Benjamin Netanyahu to take the stand for the first time in his corruption trial | World News

Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to appear in court later for the first time in his long-running corruption trial.The Israeli prime minister has been charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Judges have ruled he must testify three times a week, despite the ongoing war in Gaza war and new threats in the Middle East, including neighbouring Syria.Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three cases involving gifts from millionaire friends and for allegedly seeking regulatory favours for media tycoons in return for favourable coverage.He denies any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty. Read more:Downing Street indicates Netanyahu would be arrested in UK In the run-up to his court date, Netanyahu described the investigations against him as a witch hunt. More on Benjamin Netan...
Google pulls McDonald’s negative reviews over arrest in UnitedHealth murder case
World News

Google pulls McDonald’s negative reviews over arrest in UnitedHealth murder case

By Kanishka Singh for Reuters The negative and one-star reviews showed up after Luigi Mangione, 26, was captured at a McDonald's in Altoona. File pic Photo: Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via AFP Google on Monday removed derogatory reviews about McDonald's after the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson was arrested at its restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where police say a customer alerted a local employee about him. The negative comments aimed at McDonald's were the latest in what is known as "review bombing," where an establishment is hit with a litany of bad reviews based on a political view or an occurrence unrelated to its actual business. In this case, the negative and one-star reviews showed up after Luigi Mangione, 26, was captured at a McDonald's in...
Donald Trump vows to end birthright citizenship | US News
Business

Donald Trump vows to end birthright citizenship | US News

Donald Trump has vowed to end birthright citizenship, under which people born in the US are considered citizens. The move would strip rights from those born in the country to undocumented parents - despite the protection being enshrined in the constitution. In a wide-ranging interview - which also touched on his plans for January 6 pardons and the Ukraine war - on NBC's Meet The Press, Sky News' US partner, he redoubled his campaign pledge to oversee mass deportation of illegal immigrants.The programme, he said, will begin with undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes - although he did not reveal which ones - and then turn to "people outside of criminals".The US president-elect said there was "no choice". "I think you have to do it," he said. "It's a very tough thing to do… they c...