Comment | The sinister conspiracy theory behind Trump’s blistering attacks on Europe

It’s official. Europe is decaying and run by a cabal of weak leaders, according to a blistering attack by Donald Trump.

The reason for this is simple: Europe’s disastrous policy on immigration means “the people coming in have a totally different ideology” which is fatally weakening the continent.

His outburst follows a new US international policy stance which argues that Europe faces “civilization erasure” and is already indulging in the “censorship of free speech and the suppression of opposition”.

These are not the latest social media post from a crank in the White House. This is the assessment of its finest minds who have just produced the 2025 National Security Strategy. This is the written version of how all in the White House must see the world and the means by which they intend to get the rest of us to view the planet.

World affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:

Shaheena Uddin10 December 2025 23:30

Ukraine officially responds to US peace plan amidst pressure from Trump

Ukraine officially handed over its point-by-point response to the latest US peace plan, as reported by Axios.

This move comes amongst growing pressure from US president Donald Trump for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept the 20-point peace plan, which concedes major territorial losses.

Zelensky’s national security advisor and chief negotiator Rustem Umerov forwarded the Ukrainian response to Jared Kushner, Trump’s advisor and son-in-law.

The response includes comments and proposed ideas to “make the whole thing doable”, according to a Ukrainian official.

This follows days of consultations with European allies, including with Keir Starmer and the French president Emmanuel Macron and the German chancellor Friedrich Merz, who held a phone call with Trump on Wednesday.

A virtual meeting between the US and Ukraine is expected to take place on Thursday to continue discussions on the peace plan, a Ukrainian official said.

Shaheena Uddin10 December 2025 22:54

Trump says Zelensky needs to be ‘realistic’

US president Donald Trump has commented on the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Mr Trump said” “I think he has to be realistic. And I do wonder about, you know, how long is it going to be till they have an election democracy? It’s a long time they haven’t had an election in a long time. It’s losing a lot of people. And it’s possible that the people, if you look at the polls, I will say 82% there was a vote came out. 82% of the people are demanding a settlement be made.

“Ukrainian people, they want to see a settlement. And I understand that they’re losing thousands and thousands of people a week. They want to see it ended. And I do say, you know, at what point, when do they have a an election in Ukraine?

“That’s not casting dispersions on anybody, but they do have a massive corruption situation going on there. And they do say, you know, when, when are they people are asking this question, when do they have an election? Are they going to have an election, or are they going to just keep it going like this? So I think it’s time to get that war settled.”

Shaheena Uddin10 December 2025 22:44

Here’s why Ukraine hasn’t held elections since Russia’s full-scale invasion

US president, Donald Trump, has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of using the war as an excuse to not hold elections.

In an interview with Politico, Mr Trump said: “They’re using war not to hold an election, but, uh, I would think the Ukrainian people … should have that choice. And maybe Zelenskyy would win. I don’t know who would win.

“But they haven’t had an election in a long time. You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”

This sentiment mirrors the Kremlin in Moscow’s stance using the expired term as a way of painting Zelensky as an illegitimate leader.

However, a wartime election would illegal as Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Although Zelenskyy’s term formally expired in May 2024, Ukraine’s constitution allows him to legitimately remain in office until a newly elected president is sworn in.

Any nationwide election would also pose security risks for citizens to gather as Russia bombs Ukraniain cities with missiles and drones.

Logistically, a nationwide ballot would prove impractical, given that approximately one-fifth of the country under Russian occupation and millions of Ukrainians displaced abroad, and it would be difficult for front-line soldiers to cast their votes.

Despite previously declining to hold election, Zelensky on Tuesday responded to Mr Trump’s criticisms, saying he was ready for elections.

He said: “I am now asking — and I am stating this openly — for the United States, possibly together with our European colleagues, to help me ensure security for holding elections,” he told reporters on WhatsApp. “And then, within the next 60–90 days, Ukraine will be ready to hold them.”

Shaheena Uddin10 December 2025 22:30

Watch: Starmer reiterates support for Ukraine as Zelensky meets European allies at Downing Street

Starmer reiterates support for Ukraine as Zelensky meets European allies at Downing Street

Shaheena Uddin10 December 2025 22:00

Zelensky reaffirms Ukraine will not cede land to Russia

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has reaffirmed his strong refusal to cede any territory, resisting US pressure for painful concessions to Russia.

“Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories. We, clearly, don’t want to give up anything. That’s what we are fighting for,” Zelensky told reporters in a WhatsApp chat late on Monday.

“Do we consider ceding any territories? According to the law we don’t have such right,” he said. “According to Ukraine’s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either,” he said.

In an interview with Politico released yesterday, US president Donald Trump pressed Zelensky to accept the US proposal that Ukraine cede territory to Russia, Trump has wrongfully argued Moscow has the “upper hand” in its nearly 4-year-old invasion, and that Zelensky’s government must “play ball”.

Vladimir Putin’s forces have not made any significant territorial gains, the Institute for the Study of War said.

“Russian forces have gained 0.77 percent of Ukrainian territory since the start of 2025 while suffering disproportionately high personnel costs,” the think tank said in an update last night.

Shaheena Uddin10 December 2025 21:30

Zelensky says he is hopeful of ‘bringing the bloodshed to an end’

Mr Zelensky hinted that “this week may bring news for all of us – and for bringing the bloodshed to an end.”

Mr Zelensky’s team is due to hand its latest peace proposals to United States negotiators and the Ukrainian president said Ukraine would hold talks with the US on plans for post-war reconstruction and economic development.

Meanwhile a meeting of the “coalition of the willing” – the countries led by the UK and France prepared to support Ukraine and deter Russia if there is a ceasefire – will take place on Thursday.

Ukraine is also working on a 20-point document “that could define the parameters for ending the war”.

Shaheena Uddin10 December 2025 21:00

British soldier killed in Ukraine military training exercise named

A British soldier killed on duty in Ukraine has been named by the Ministry of Defence as 28-year-old Lance Corporal George Hooley of the Parachute Regiment.

Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to him at Prime Minister’s Questions. He said: “Lance Corporal Hooley was injured in a tragic accident away from the front lines while observing Ukrainian forces testing a new defensive capability.

“His life was full of courage and determination. He served our country with honour and distinction around the world in the cause of freedom and democracy, including as part of the small number of British personnel in Ukraine.”

Our senior reporter Dan Haygarth brings the report:

Shaheena Uddin10 December 2025 20:30

Kherson maternity hospital attack highlights worsening risks for pregnant women

Last week, a maternity hospital in Kherson, which was supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), was damaged by an strike.

This latest attack comes amid new UNFPA data which shows the maternal mortality rate has risen by approximately 37 per cent in the past year, as repeated strikes on hospitals force women to give birth in increasingly dangerous conditions.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, more than 80 maternity and neonatal facilities have been damaged or destroyed, among the 2,763 healthcare sites hit nationwide.

Florence Bauer, UNFPA’s Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia said: “These are not abstract statistics – they are people and families living under unbearable stress and reflect a health system under attack. Safe childbirth must be protected even in war, and international humanitarian law is clear: health facilities, health workers and humanitarian access must never be targeted.”

Kherson City Clinical Hospital, the facility struck by artillery fire on 4 December , lies just 1.5 km from active front lines and remains under constant threat from artillery and drone attacks. During the strike, staff and patients sheltered in the bunkerised maternity unit constructed with UNFPA’s support. All personnel and patients were unharmed, and a baby girl was safely delivered during the attack.

Shaheena Uddin10 December 2025 19:30

Thousands of Nato soldiers pass through Lapland amid Russian threat

Nato soldiers have been passing through Rovaniemi in Finland for training exercises at Rovajärvi, which is Europe’s largest military exercise area.

The region, frequented by tourists hoping to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere, is 55 miles from the Russian border.

(Getty Images)(Getty Images)

Maira Butt10 December 2025 19:00

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NEED TO KNOW

• Isla Fisher pays tribute to Sophie Kinsella after her death at 55
• The London-born writer, whose real name is Madeleine Sophie Wickham, published over 30 books throughout her career
• She was best known for her 2000 novel Confessions of a Shopaholic, which was made into a 2009 film starring Fisher

Isla Fisher is mourning the death of Sophie Kinsella. 

In a tribute posted to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Dec. 10, the Australian actress, who starred as the lead in Kinsella’s 2009 rom-com Confessions of a Shopaholic, reflected on the impact the late author left on the world. 

“Dear Sophie, You conjured Rebecca Bloomwood, a hilarious flawed dream of a comic character – and I was lucky enough to step into her shoes and speak your witty & brilliant words,” Fisher, 49, wrote in a text overlay that accompanied a photo of the pair smiling at an event together. 

Isla Fisher mourns Sophie Kinsella.

Isla Fisher/Instagram; Ian West – PA Images/PA Images via Getty 

She continued, “My daughters grew up being read your books and love them to this day. My heart is broken. You are still my hero, and I’m grateful for you. And though we won’t meet again, your light and magic lives on in your incredible characters.”

The London-born writer, whose real name is Madeleine Sophie Wickham, wrote more than 30 books throughout her career. Still, Kinsella is best known for her 2000 novel Confessions of a Shopaholic, which was made into the 2009 film starring Fisher and Hugh Dancy.

Kinsella’s family confirmed her death on social media earlier in the day, hours before Fisher’s tribute. She was 55.

“We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie (aka Maddy, aka Mummy),” the Instagram post read. “She died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy.”

A single photo of Kinsella smiling outdoors was included with her family’s message.

Kinsella was diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of glioblastoma brain cancer in 2022, and her family said on Wednesday that “Despite her illness, which she bore with unimaginable courage, Sophie counted herself truly blessed.”

A second post shared to Fisher’s Instagram Stories included a promo photo from the film of the actress as Rebecca Bloomwood stuffing Henri Bendel shopping bags into a taxi cab. 

Isla Fisher, Confessions Of A Shopaholic.

Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock

“I’m so heartbroken that you are gone,” Fisher wrote over the image, tagging Kinsella. 

Additionally, the Now You See Me: Now You Don’t star shared a few clips with scenes from the movie to her Stories as well.

Kinsella wrote her first novel, The Tennis Party, at just 24 years old after working as a financial journalist.

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“To be honest, it was the only job I could get,” she told The Guardian in 2012 of her path before her blockbuster career switch. 

Kinsella is survived by her husband Henry Wickham and their five children.

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By WAYNE FLOWER, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA

Published: 17:36 EST, 10 December 2025 | Updated: 17:52 EST, 10 December 2025

 Former Jetstar pilot could walk free from jail on bail after his murder conviction was overturned. 

Lynn fronted the Supreme Court of Appeal on Thursday where the court ordered his conviction over the murder of Carol Clay be scrapped. 

A Supreme Court jury last year found Lynn guilty of murdering the retiree at a campsite they shared in Victoria’s High Country in March 2020, but acquitted him of murdering her companion, Russell Hill. 

Greg Lynn arrives at court on Thursday

Lynn has always maintained his innocence, saying the pair died in tragic, accidental deaths following a dispute involving a knife and one of his guns.

On Thursday, Court of Appeal President Karin Emerton said there was a ‘substantial’ likelihood of a miscarriage of justice during the original trial.

The decision had been made by Justice Emerton and justices Phillip Priest and Peter Kidd. 

Lynn was jovial upon hearing the judge’s decision, embracing his legal team. 

Dress in a suit and hiking boots, he had appeared confident of the decision before it had even been made. 

Lynn smiled at supporters in the court, which included his son Geordie. 

Lynn’s son refused to comment to a media pack upon leaving the court. 

The former pilot’s barrister, Dermot Dann, KC refused to say whether he intended to now apply for bail. 

A jury found Lynn murdered Carol Clay (left) but not Russell Hill

If he does as expected, the matter will be listed in the Supreme Court of Victoria. 

Lynn faces a decent chance of securing bail given the length of time he has already spent behind bars and the expected delay in the re-rial.

Any retrial is likely not to commence until late next year or even the following year given the complexity of the case and backlogs. 

A swag of evidence had been tossed out by the presiding judge for Lynn’s first trial. 

A lengthy pretrial had already been run before that trial even began. 

It is expected Lynn’s defence team and prosecutors will again face-off to work out how the next trial might proceed. 

Lynn had entered the witness box himself during his first trial where he was put to the torch for days by both his own barrister and the prosecution. 

More to come. 

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Former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn could be free for Christmas as court overturns his murder conviction and orders a retrial

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Locklynn Rose McGuire died after being mauled by a dog she was left in a room with for a ‘substantial period of time’ as her parents are now facing upgraded murder charges

Locklyn Rose Maguire was left in the room with the ‘dangerous’ animal for a ‘substantial period of time’(Image: GoFundMe)

A two-year-old girl was savaged to death by a dog which authorities described as “dangerous” and “malnourished”, as she was left in the room the with the animal for a “substantial period of time” before she was found dead.

Initially parents Darci Lambert, 24, and Jorden McGuire, 34, were charged with second-degree murder. However on December 8 the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office announced that these have now been upgraded to charges of first-degree murder.

Authorities have said that the change in the charges that Lambert and McGuire are facing came after they reviewed the “horrendous details of the case.” Investigators have claimed that there was also evidence that the same dog had attacked the child on previous occasions.

READ MORE: Ex-nurse who stabbed woman 26 times before burying her on beach faces justiceREAD MORE: Smirking thug headbutted his partner said ‘She’s my bird, I’ll do what I want’Darci Lambert has been charged with first-degree murder after initially being charged with second-degree murder(Image: Oklahoma County Detention Center)

Officers from Oklahoma City police arrived at the family home on November 18 while responding to a report of a child not breathing. When they entered the house the officers discovered the body of the girl with “horrific injuries”, which were thought to be the result of an attack by an animal.

Oklahoma City Police Staff Sgt. Dillon Quirk has previously told PEOPLE that officers working on the case “learned that the child was left in that room with the animal for a substantial period of time before she was discovered deceased.” Adding that “ultimately a murder arrest came from that investigation”.

Loved ones identified the child as Locklynn Rose, who was just two years old. Loved ones also paid tribute to Locklynn in a GoFundMe started to help raise funds to cover expenses after her death.

It said: “Locklynn was pure light. She was curious, gentle, and full of joy – the kind of little girl whose smile could brighten even the hardest day. She loved deeply and was deeply loved. Losing her in such a heartbreaking and unexpected way has left our entire family shattered.”

Jorden McGuire was initially charged with second-degree murder, but the charge was later upgraded to first degree(Image: Oklahoma County Detention Center)

Now, authorities investigating the horrific case are alleging that Lambert and McGuire were aware of the danger that the dog posed to Locklynn. The district attorney’s office has claimed that they “maliciously failed to protect their child and permitted her to remain in the presence of a dangerous, malnourished dog, fully aware of the serious risk of harm.”

When they were at the scene officers also found four dogs, of which it is alleged that three were malnourished. The dogs were removed by Oklahoma City Animal Welfare, along with two Bearded Dragons.

Both Lambert and McGuire are currently in police custody, and have been given a bond of $1 million (£747k). If they are convicted on the charge of first degree murder they could face a life sentence.

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United States Congressman Randy Fine, an ally of President Donald Trump, has suggested that the Palestinian people should be destroyed, boasting that he is not afraid to be called Islamophobic.

During a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Fine – who has a long history of Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian statements – cited the myth that Israelis are banned from going to some areas in the occupied West Bank due to “apartheid” imposed against Israeli settlers.

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In reality, the Israeli military, which controls the Palestinian territory, has signs warning settlers against entering Palestinian towns for safety concerns.

But settlers, often armed and protected by Israeli forces, regularly storm and ransack Palestinian villages. At least two US citizens have been killed in settler attacks this year.

“When you are dealing with a group of people who continually call for the destruction of the State of Israel, who are OK with signs that say, ‘Jews may not enter these areas’, we want to be free of Jews, how do you make peace with that?” Fine asked Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, during the hearing.

“How do you create a long-term solution with that? Or is there another way that we have to go?”

Klein – who previously used the slur “filthy Arab” and called for profiling Muslims in the US – said Islam needs to undergo a “reformation” and accept “Israel as a Jewish state”.

“Nobody wants to talk about it. They’re afraid of being called Islamophobic,” Klein said.

Fine interrupted, saying, “I’m not afraid of that.”

The Republican US congressman, who represents a district in the state of Florida, then doubled down on his volatile rhetoric.

“I don’t know how you make peace with those who seek your destruction. I think you destroy them first,” he said.

A United Nations convention defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, including killing, causing harm, preventing births, forcibly transferring children, and imposing life conditions to cause destruction”.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 70,400 Palestinians and turned nearly the entire territory into rubble, aimed to destroy the Palestinian people, leading rights groups and UN investigators have said.

Abed Ayoub, executive director at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), slammed Fine, calling him “the Temu version of Benjamin Netanyahu,” referring to the discount online retailer and the Israeli prime minister.

“He’s hated by Republicans and Democrats for his policy of Israel first, Israel second, Israel third — Americans nowhere. He’s basically a foreign spokesperson at this point, and not even a good one,” Ayoub told Al Jazeera.

“His unhinged, genocidal rhetoric shows his desperation as he tries to appease his bosses back in Tel Aviv.”

This isn’t the first time that Fine – who was elected to Congress earlier this year with the endorsements of Trump and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) – has made inflammatory statements about Palestinians.

In 2021, Fine commented on a social post with a photo of a dead Palestinian child asking him how he sleeps at night with: “Quite well, actually! Thanks for the pic!”

Earlier this year, he wrote “starve away” in response to a report about the deadly hunger in Gaza due to the Israeli blockade.

Last year, Fine lauded the killing of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a US activist who was fatally shot by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank.

“Throw rocks, get shot. One less #MuslimTerror ist. #FireAway,” Fine wrote in a social media post.

He has also previously argued that fear of Muslims is warranted. “While many Muslims are not terrorists, they are the radicals, not the mainstream,” he wrote in a post on X in 2023. “Now is the time to speak truth, not bathe in political correctness that will kill us.”

Despite such comments, Fine – who refers to himself as the Hebrew Hammer – has been a regular guest on some mainstream media outlets, including CNN.

Hatem Abudayyeh, national chair of the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), called out Republicans in Congress and Trump for failing to denounce Fine.

“It’s one thing to read disgusting, racist, anti-Palestinian, anti-Black, and xenophobic vile on social media 24-7, but we’re not supposed to hear it from actual elected officials in this country,” Abudayyeh told Al Jazeera.

“This is what the Trump era has brought to the political arena: hateful speech from hateful people like Randy Fine, a sickening Zionist apologist for genocide who is allowed to spew his racism without condemnation from the rest of his party or his president.”

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US forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, in a major escalation of Donald Trump’s four-month pressure campaign against the South American country’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro.

The US president confirmed the operation on Wednesday. “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela – a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually,” he said. “And other things are happening so you will be seeing that later and you will be talking about that later with other people.”

“It was seized for a very good reason,” Trump told reporters, declining to say who owned the vessel.

Two US officials told Reuters the operation was led by the US Coast Guard, but did not name the tanker or say specifically where the interception happened. A senior Trump administration official told Bloomberg that the US had conducted a “judicial enforcement action on a stateless vessel” that was last docked in Venezuela.

Venezuela’s government made no immediate comment on the seizure but speaking at a rally in Caracas, Maduro urged citizens to act like “warriors” and be ready “to smash the teeth of the North American empire if necessary”.

Maduro has been in power since 2013, when he succeeded Hugo Chávez after Chávez’s death from cancer. Widely believed to have stolen last year’s presidential election, Maduro has clung to power after launching a wave of repression that forced Edmundo González, the apparent winner of the 2024 vote, into exile in Spain.

Since August, the US has put a $50m bounty on Maduro’s head, launched the biggest naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and carried out a series of deadly airstrikes on alleged drug boats that have killed more than 80 people.

On Tuesday, two US fighter jets circled the Gulf of Venezuela for about 40 minutes. The aircraft flew just north of Maracaibo, one of Venezuela’s most populous cities.

On Wednesday, González’s most important backer, the opposition leader María Corina Machado, was awarded the Nobel peace prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a peaceful and just transition from dictatorship to democracy”.

Machado’s daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, accepted the prize, telling a ceremony in Oslo that her mother’s struggle to end years of “obscene corruption” and “brutal dictatorship” would go on.

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Venezuela has the world’s largest proven reserves of oil and, although years of mismanagement and corruption have done severe damage to its oil industry, oil exports remain Venezuela’s main source of revenue. The main customer is China.

The objective of this week’s reported tanker seizure was not immediately clear.

In an interview last week, Joe Biden’s former chief Latin America adviser, Juan González, said that at around the time of last year’s election he had pushed for the US to station two navy destroyers off Venezuela’s coast “and even impose an oil blockade”.

That never happened, but González believed one possible way out of the current crisis might be for the Trump administration to push Maduro into accepting a recall referendum, perhaps in 2027, but threatening “real hardline consequences” such as a blockade if the result was not respected.

“I think it is potentially a viable option where there should be a very credible and aggressive snapback associated with it,” González said, adding: “Imposing an oil blockade would shut down the entire economy.”

“It’s less aggressive [than a land strike] but it’s still considered an act of war,” added González, who was the national security council’s senior director for the western hemisphere during the Biden administration.

“He [Trump] could take unilateral action by blocking oil tankers from leaving or entering the country, and that I think would precipitate Maduro’s departure.”

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Archaeologists wrote in the journal Nature this week that they have unearthed the oldest-known evidence of deliberate fire-making by prehistoric humans in the English county of Suffolk. 

The hearth was discovered in Barnham in the UK, near a buried site that was once a pond where Neanderthals are thought to have lived roughly 415,000 years ago.

The authors wrote that the site seems to provide “unequivocal evidence of deliberate fire-making” that “has remained elusive” because of the difficulties in distinguishing between naturally occurring fires being used by prehistoric humans and controlled fires being created on demand.

Early humans are thought to have first started making opportunistic use of naturally occurring fires, for instance from lightning strikes or forest fires, as much as a million years ago. 

The excavations of an ancient Neanderthal site in Suffolk suggest the inhabitants intentionally brought fire-lighting materials to the areaImage: Jordan Mansfield/Pathways to Ancient Britain Project/AP Photo/picture alliance

Heated clay, heat-shattered handaxes, and imported iron pyrite to light permanent campfire

At an old clay pit for making bricks near the village of Barnham, the researchers found a patch of heated clay, some heat-shattered handaxes and two pieces of iron pyrite.

This material creates sparks when struck against flint to ignite tinder, and is also not readily available in the vicinity, suggesting the Neanderthals brought it to the watering hole specifically for the purpose. 

“We think humans brought pyrite to the site with the intention of making fire,” said archaeologist Nick Ashton, curator of Palaeolithic Collections at the British Museum in London and the leader of the research. “This has huge implications pushing back the earliest fire-making.” 

Researchers first found fragments of iron pyrite, ideal for sparking fires and not naturally available in the local area around Barnham, at the site in 2017Image: Jordan Mansfield/Pathways to Ancient Britain Project/AP Photo/picture alliance

The earliest-known evidence of deliberate fire-making to date had been unearthed in northern France and dated to roughly 50,000 years ago. It was also attributed to Neanderthals. 

Although human remains were not found at the site, paleoanthropologist and study co-author Chris Stringer said that pieces of human skull from a similar period, characteristic of early Neanderthals, were located in the mid-20th century less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the south at a town called Swanscombe and at a site in Sima de los Huesos near Burgos in Spain. 

“Thus the Barnham fire-makers were very likely to have been early Neanderthals, like Swanscombe and the Sima people,” Stringer said.

Neanderthals are thought to have gone extinct roughly 39,000 years ago as homo sapiens started to settle throughout Europe. But genetic remnants of the early hominid cousins to modern humans persist in many of our genes as a result of interbreeding and assimilation.

Neanderthals and their relationship to the human species

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Fire expands and improves diet; hearth feeds community, language, storytelling

Controlled use of fire was a landmark in human evolution for multiple reasons.

Cooking enabled vastly improved diets and easier and safer digestion of meat and other ingredients, freeing up energy from digestion for use by the fast-expanding brains of early hominins.

It also provided warmth, enabling hunter-gatherers to survive and thrive in colder environments, like Britain, study co-author Rob Davis, an archaeologist at the British Museum, said. 

Fires are also thought to have contributed crucially to social evolution, allowing humans to feed and gather in larger groups in comparative safety and comfort at night, socializing and perhaps engaging in the earliest forms of storytelling and language development and exchange.

“The campfire becomes a social hub,” Davis said. “We’re a species who have used fire to really shape the world around us.” 

Ancient Greek myth designated fire and its theft from the gods as the key step in Prometheus’ creation of humans; not for nothing was the Greek goddess of the hearth, Hestia, also the patron of the home and of family Image: Hendrik Goltzius/Heritage Art/Heritage Images/picture alliance

Edited by Sean Sinico

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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned on Wednesday that Moscow will retaliate if European governments deploy troops to Ukraine or seize frozen Russian assets to support Kyiv, according to Reuters.

Lavrov delivered the remarks before the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, outlining Moscow’s stance on the war and its clash with the West. Reuters reported that Lavrov insisted Russia does not seek war with Europe but is prepared to act if it views Western countries as escalating the conflict.

“We will respond to any hostile steps, including the deployment of European military contingents in Ukraine and the expropriation of Russian assets. And we are already prepared for this response,” Lavrov said, according to Reuters.

Lavrov also praised President Donald Trump’s approach to a potential settlement, calling him the “only Western leader” who understands what he described as the reasons the war was “inevitable.” He said Moscow appreciates Trump’s interest in dialogue but noted Trump is “not only in no hurry to lift, but is actually increasing” sanctions on Russia, Reuters reported.

EUROPEAN TALKS RESHAPE UKRAINE’S PEACE PLAN AS ZELENSKYY REFUSES TERRITORIAL CONCESSIONS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “We will respond to any hostile steps, including the deployment of European military contingents in Ukraine,” he said earlier today. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service telegram channel via AP)

Trump, speaking later on Monday at the White House, said he held calls with European leaders about the war. “The leaders of France, we spoke to and Germany and U.K., … we discussed Ukraine in pretty strong words, and we’ll see what happens. And we’re waiting to hear answers before we progress. You know, we’re not spending any money in Ukraine.”

Asked by a reporter for clarification, the president said: “I think we had some little disputes about people… They would like us to go to a meeting over the weekend in Europe, and we’ll make a determination depending on what they come back with. We don’t want to be wasting time… Sometimes you have to let people fight it out, and sometimes you don’t… you’re losing thousands of people a week, and it’s ridiculous.”

As Lavrov accused Europe of obstructing peace efforts, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced what he called the first formal meeting with senior Trump administration officials on Ukraine’s reconstruction.

EX-CIA STATION CHIEF WARNS PUTIN USING TALKS TO GAIN LEVERAGE AS UKRAINE DELEGATION MEETS TOP TRUMP OFFICIALS

In a post on X on Wednesday, Zelenskyy wrote: “Together with our team, I held a productive discussion with the American side… In fact, this could be considered the first meeting of the group that will work on a document concerning the reconstruction and economic recovery of Ukraine.”

A resident walks among the debris near a damaged house, a day after a Russian strike on a suburb of Odesa, southern Ukraine on March 7, 2025. (Oleksandr Gimanova/AFP via Getty Images)

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He said they discussed “key elements for recovery, various mechanisms, and visions for reconstruction” and reviewed updates to the “20 points of the framework document for ending the war.” Zelenskyy added that “overall security… will determine economic security and underpin a safe business environment.”

The Ukrainian president said both sides agreed to continue talks, adding: “As always, there will be no delays on our side. We are working to deliver results.” He closed by thanking Trump, writing: “I thank President Trump and his team for their substantive work and support.”

Later on Monday, Zelenskyy again posted on X where he said, “The 20 points for ending the war form a fundamental document. We are actively working on the key steps – they must be doable. From this fundamental document, we are developing at least two additional ones. The first is on security – regarding security guarantees with the United States. The second is on the economy, covering reconstruction and joint investment.”
 

Reuters contributed to this article.

Efrat Lachter is an investigative reporter and war correspondent. Her work has taken her to 40 countries, including Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Sudan and Afghanistan. She is a recipient of the 2024 Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalism. Lachter can be followed on X @efratlachter.

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It looks like Donald Trump’s favorite reporter is going to Marjorie Taylor Greene in the increasingly bitter MAGA divorce.

In a lengthy profile in the Washington Post on the “weird month” he’s had amid the nasty public breakup between the president and Greene, who had been one of Trump’s fiercest allies and defenders on Capitol Hill, Brian Glenn revealed that his loyalties ultimately lie with his girlfriend.

Glenn, the chief White House correspondent for pro-Trump cable network Real America’s Voice, has been placed in a highly awkward position since the president lashed out at Greene and labeled her a “traitor” after the MAGA lawmaker split with Trump on several issues – namely the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and extending health care subsidies.

However, as Glenn told the Post, now that his partner has decided to leave Congress next month, he has decided to follow her to Georgia and give up his mantle as Trump’s go-to White House reporter.

“I’m not doing this fly-back-and-forth thing — not doing it, it’s not worth it,” he told the paper.

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Brian Glenn is leaving DC and his spot as Trump’s favorite reporter after his girlfriend Marjorie Taylor Greene resigns from Congress. (Getty Images)

Additionally, he claimed that Real America’s Voice is building him a studio near his and Green’s home in Georgia, though he left it up in the air what role he would play at the MAGA channel going forward.

“I’ll do whatever content from there — either contribute to the network or do something else as well, another show or something,” he stated.

Elsewhere in his sitdown with the Washington Post, Glenn – who has drawn headlines for his over-the-top pro-Trump questions – appeared unapologetic about his role as a cheerleader for the president while ostensibly serving as a member of the White House press corps.

“I’m so much more base than they are,” he boasted, referencing other members of the conservative media ecosystem. “And the administration knows that, too.”

Things began to change for Glenn, though, when Greene began speaking out against the administration and GOP leadership amid the government shutdown and the growing affordability concerns that propelled Democrats to sweeping victories in November’s off-year elections.

Eventually, beginning in mid-November, Trump began unleashing a series of social media rants in which he blasted Greene as “Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Brown,” because “Green turns to Brown where there is ROT involved,” all while withdrawing his endorsement of her for next year’s midterms. That prompted Glenn to lie low for a while, which included him avoiding White House press briefings and presidential events.

“I didn’t want to make any awkward spaces,” Glenn told me, “so I said, ‘You know what? Let me just stay back this week.’”

While he has since returned to attending the briefings and Trump pressers, Glenn was still left with a decision to make now that his girlfriend – and possible future wife – would be leaving town in the next few weeks.

“I’m like the little divorced kid in the middle!” Glenn exclaimed to the Post after the Georgia firebrand announced her resignation, noting that he “really, really doesn’t want to have to choose sides.”

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Brian Glenn has become Donald Trump’s go-to White House reporter due to the Real America’s Voice correspondent’s tendency to ask over-the-top pro-MAGA questions. (Getty Images)

Still, when the president first began publicly bashing Greene from the White House, Glenn talked about the emotional impact that had on him. “I’m not going to lie to you, it hurt,” he said, noting that he began receiving texts from friends about it as he wasn’t in Washington that day.

“I never could have imagined how a nuclear bomb could go off over someone’s head the way it did that Friday,” Glenn added about Trump’s Truth Social tirade in which the president labeled Greene a traitor and pulled his endorsement.

“Speaking of loyalty — what about the man in the middle? Who would get Glenn in the divorce?” the Post wondered, prompting Glenn to respond: “Well, I gotta go with ‘Mom’ here.”

In the end, while Glenn said that wedding bells are definitely “in the future for sure,” he also wanted Trump to know that he will always have Trump’s back. “I will continue to support the president — I want to make sure that’s in the piece,” he told the Post.

A week after speaking to the paper, Glenn was on hand for an Oval Office event with automakers that saw the president go on a rambling monologue about how affordability was a Democratic “con job.”

When Trump began taking questions, he called on Glenn first, who was ready to tee up the president with a predictably pro-MAGA softball, only for the president to interject and declare: “We love you, Brian.”

Glenn replied: “Oh, I love you too, Mr. President!”

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By ELINA SHIRAZI, US SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 14:14 EST, 10 December 2025 | Updated: 15:50 EST, 10 December 2025

Pete Hegseth sent shockwaves through Washington with his Pentagon press shakeup… the Daily Mail’s US Senior Political Reporter Elina Shirazi explains what’s really changed behind the scenes.

Shirazi has spoken out against the Pentagon and the Department of War’s new media policy, aimed at restricting journalists’ access and requiring all outlets to sign contracts. 

The Pentagon’s new media contract requires journalists to have their articles approved by officials before public release, sparking backlash from reporters.

Click above to watch the full video. 

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Pete Hegseth sent shockwaves through Washington with his Pentagon press shakeup… here’s what really changed behind the scenes

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