The philanthropist MacKenzie Scott revealed Tuesday that she donated $7.1 billion (€6.1 billion) to nonprofits in 2025.

Her donations this year mark a significant increase in annual giving than in previous years — which she acknowledged was $2.6 billion in 2024 and $2.1 billion in 2023.

Scott is one of the richest people in the world, and Forbes estimates her net worth at around $33 billion, largely stemming from her stake in Amazon.

She was married to Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos until 2019.

Here are the key points:

• Scott discloses $7.17 billion in donations this year
• That brings her total philanthropic giving since 2019 to $26.3 billion
• Scott donates to groups that work to address climate change, fight for equality
• More than a dozen historically Black colleges say they together received a total of $783 million from Scott this year 

Historically Black colleges and universities report major new funding

In advance of Scott’s public announcement, more than a dozen historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) said they had received a combined $783 million (€673 million) from her this year, according to research by Rutgers University professor Marybeth Gasman.

Some institutions were first-time recipients, while others that had previously received support did not receive funds in this round. Gasman has tracked $1.35 billion (€1.16 billion) in Scott’s giving to HBCUs since 2020.

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) confirmed receiving $70 million (€60 million), which it plans to invest in a collective endowment for participating HBCUs. Native Forward Scholars Fund, which provides scholarships to Native American students, also received $50 million (€43 million).

Scott notable for donations because they have few strings attached

Scott’s giving model remains notable because her donations come without applications, restrictions, or reporting requirements. She has no public-facing foundation or office, and organizations are typically notified of a gift through intermediaries.

A 2023 study by the Center for Effective Philanthropy found that recipients generally did not struggle to manage the influx of unrestricted funds and did not see other donors retreat as a result.

California nonprofit 10,000 Degrees said it received a $42 million gift earlier this year. Its CEO, Kim Mazzuca, said she confirmed the amount after being notified by phone. The gift is roughly twice the organization’s annual budget.

Scott places her giving within a broader landscape of public generosity

In her essay, Scott contrasted her multibillion-dollar total with the scale of everyday charitable acts. She referenced US data from 2020, citing “$471 billion” in charitable donations, along with billions in remittances, crowdfunding, volunteer labor, and service-sector wages.

Scott also described early experiences in which she received help, including free dental care and a loan from a college roommate. 

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar

SOURCE PAGE

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The U.S. deployed two fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela Tuesday, marking what appeared to be the closest known approach of military aircraft to Venezuelan airspace to date, according to reports.

The F/A-18 jets were observed on Flightradar24 flying for roughly 30 minutes over the waters north of Venezuela, the Associated Press reported.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the short mission as a “routine training flight” designed to demonstrate the aircraft’s operational reach.

DAVID MARCUS: TRUMP’S AGGRESSION TOWARD VENEZUELA A WARNING TO PUTIN

U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets flew over the Gulf of Venezuela in the closest known approach to Venezuelan airspace, conducting what officials called routine training. (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The official also did not disclose whether the jets were armed but did emphasize that the operation remained entirely within international airspace.

Tuesday’s dual flight follows months of heightened U.S. military activity in the region.

Although the U.S. has previously flown B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer bombers along Venezuela’s coastline, those aircraft did not appear to approach as closely as Tuesday’s F/A-18s.

MADURO’S FORCES FACE RENEWED SCRUTINY AS US TENSIONS RISE: ‘A FORTRESS BUILT ON SAND’

The U.S. military deployed F/A-18 jets near Venezuelan airspace in what defense officials described as routine training to demonstrate operational reach. (Julian Abram Wainwright/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The increase in activity in the region first began after U.S. strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in both the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific.

The first reported U.S. military strike on a vessel that allegedly departed from Venezuela carrying drugs was in September.

The Trump administration said the operations were essential to curbing illicit drug trafficking, though Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro continues to deny this.

Tensions surrounding Venezuelan airspace escalated in November after President Trump instructed airlines to treat the region as effectively closed, aligning with FAA warnings to civilian carriers.

SENATORS VOW PUSH TO PROHIBIT US MILITARY ACTION IN VENEZUELA IF TRUMP PURSUES STRIKES AGAINST THE COUNTRY

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a ceremonial sword said to have belonged to independence hero Simon Bolivar during a government-organized civic-military march in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation previously told Fox News Digital that Venezuela’s most significant military threat stems from its own air-naval systems.

Isaias Medina, an international lawyer and former Venezuelan diplomat also said Venezuela’s own military’s capabilities look better on paper than in reality.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

He said that included fighter jets, limited surface vessels, and Russian-made surface-to-air missiles.

“Reasonably speaking, in the first day or two of a campaign plan, we can eliminate the air and maritime threat to U.S. forces,” Montgomery said.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture. 

SOURCE PAGE

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Prosecutors in the Luigi Mangione murder trial have released police body camera footage showing the moment police approached him at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s.

The footage was released exactly a year after Mangione’s arrest.

Mangione, 27, has been charged with murder in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on December 4, 2024.

Police launched a manhunt in response to the shooting, and on December 9 were tipped off that someone matching the suspect’s description was eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

In the footage, officers enter the McDonald’s and approach a man in a knit hat and a medical face mask sitting in the rear of the restaurant. The police ask the person—said to be Mangione—to pull his mask down, which he does.

open image in gallery

This image taken from video released by Pennsylvania State Police shows Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, 2024

An officer then asks the man police identified as Mangione for his name. The man says his name is “Mark” and gives a last name that sounds like “Rosario.”

“Someone called, and they thought you were suspicious,” one of the officers says.

The man in the video apologizes, after which the officer asks for his ID. The man produces his ID and hands it to the police. As the officer wearing the body camera walks away to run the license, another officer can be heard asking the man where he is from. After that, the video ends.

The license the man handed to the police did have the name “Mark Rosario” on it, but included a photo of a man who looks like Mangione.

The officers involved in the video are Altoona police officers Joseph Fetwiler and Tyler Frye.

The footage was released on the fifth day of a pretrial hearing to determine if the evidence collected on the day of Mangione’s arrest can be shown at his trial.

open image in gallery

Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to weapons, stalking and murder charges in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City (Curtis Means @2025)

Mangione has been charged in federal court with murder, stalking, and firing a weapon with a silencer in furtherance of a crime, and has been charged in New York with second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a forged instrument. The state charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, while the federal charges seek the death penalty.

He has entered not-guilty pleas for both the state and federal charges.

The evidence collected by Altoona police—which includes the alleged murder weapon, a pistol silencer, a gun magazine loaded with bullets, and a so-called manifesto—has become a point of contention ahead of Mangione’s trial.

Mangione’s defense team wants the items barred from entry into the trial, accusing police of searching Mangione without first obtaining a warrant. They also want some of the comments in the body cam footage tossed, including the part where Mangione allegedly gives the police a fake name.

They have argued that Mangione made those comments before police read him his Miranda rights.

His attorneys already successfully argued to have state terrorism charges against Mangione tossed in September.

SOURCE PAGE

NEED TO KNOW

• Former competitive snowboarder Ryan James Wedding represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics
• He now holds a spot on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List for “allegedly running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada, and other locations in the United States,” per the FBI
• New photos of him have been released

As the search for Ryan James Wedding — the former Olympic snowboarder who holds a spot on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List for allegedly trafficking cocaine internationally — continues, new photos of him have been released.

“Make no mistake about it: Ryan Wedding is a modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar. He’s a modern-day iteration of ‘El Chapo’ Guzman,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a November press conference.

On Monday, Dec. 8, the FBI Los Angeles office released a newly obtained photo of Wedding, 44, on X, believed to have been taken in Mexico this summer.

The photo shows Wedding lying in bed, shirtless, showing off a portion of a large chest tattoo.

Ryan James Wedding.

FBI

While he appears with a beard and a mustache in the photo, another photo of him, released by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico on X, shows him with a buzzcut and scruffy facial hair.

It is not clear when the second image, in which he is also standing in front of a gray wall wearing a green shirt, was taken.

Wedding is wanted for “allegedly running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada, and other locations in the United States,” FBI Los Angeles said in its post on X.

“Additionally, it is alleged that Wedding was involved in orchestrating multiple murders in furtherance of these drug crimes,” the federal government office continued.

Per a nine-count federal indictment announced against Wedding by the U.S. Department of Justice, in November, he is also accused of ordering the murder of a federal witness who was executed with five bullets to the head earlier this year, before he could testify against Wedding.

The FBI said in a November press release that it is believed that Wedding lives in Mexico. The bureau believes that he works with the Sinaloa Cartel there to flood U.S. and Canadian communities with cocaine from Colombia, with protection from the cartel.

According to the press release, in a Nov. 19 press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., officials from the U.S. and Canada described Wedding as a narco-trafficker on par with notorious drug lords like Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Pablo Escobar.

Ryan James Wedding seen in a poster for the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.

FBI

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wedding’s operation was responsible for more than $1 billion a year in illegal drug proceeds, calling it “one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations in this world.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

The U.S. Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction.

SOURCE PAGE

Donald Trump’s Republican Party suffered another blow as Miami elected a Democrat as mayor for the first time since 1997.

While Miami’s mayoral elections are considered non-partisan, Eileen Higgins – who refers to herself as ‘La Gringa’ – campaigned as a proud Democrat and beat Trump-backed candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former city manager, who said he called Higgins to congratulate her.

‘We are facing rhetoric from elected officials that is so dehumanizing and cruel, especially against immigrant populations,’ Higgins said. 

‘The residents of Miami were ready to be done with that.’ 

Higgins, 61, will be the first woman to lead the city of Miami. She spoke frequently in the Hispanic-majority city about Trump´s immigration crackdown, saying she has heard of many people in Miami who were worried about family members being detained.

With nearly all votes counted Tuesday, Higgins led the Republican by about 19 percentage points.

The local race is not predictive of what may happen at the polls next year. But it drew attention from the two major national political parties and their leaders. 

The victory provides Democrats with some momentum heading into a high-stakes midterm election when the GOP is looking to keep its grip in Florida, including in a Hispanic-majority district in Miami-Dade County. 

Donald Trump’s Republican Party suffered another blow as Miami elected a Democrat – Eileen Higgins – as mayor for the first time since 1997

Higgins beat Trump-backed candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former city manager, who said he called Higgins to congratulate her

The area has shifted increasingly rightward politically in recent years, and the city may become the home of Trump´s presidential library .

‘Tonight´s result is yet another warning sign to Republicans that voters are fed up with their out-of-touch agenda that is raising costs,’ said Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, in a statement.

The election follows wipeout wins for Democrats in both the New Jersey and Virginia governors’ races and a closer than expected loss in a Congressional special election in Tennessee. 

Donald Trump has apparently responded to the results by beginning a year-long nationwide tour to campaign for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. 

Some nationally recognized Democrats supported Higgins, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. 

Senator Ruben Gallego and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel traveled to Miami on Sunday and Monday to rally voters for the Democrat who served as a Miami-Dade county commissioner for seven years.

Higgins, who speaks Spanish, represented a district that leans conservative and includes the Cuban neighborhood of Little Havana. 

When she first entered politics in 2018, she chose to present herself to voters as ‘La Gringa,’ a term Spanish speakers use for white Americans, because many people did not known how to pronounce her name.

Gonzalez was endorsed by Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis

Donald Trump has apparently responded to the results by beginning a year-long nationwide tour to campaign for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections

‘It just helps people understand who I am, and you know what? I am a `gringa,´ so, what am I going to do, deny it?’ she said.

Republicans in Florida have found strong support from voters with heritage from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, because they likened some members of the Democratic party´s progressive wing with politicians from the governments they fled. 

Trump and other GOP members have tapped into those sentiments over the past eight years.

However, some local Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated since November´s elections when Democrats scored wins in New Jersey and Virginia, where both winning gubernatorial candidates performed strongly with nonwhite voters.

The results from those races were perceived as a reflection of concerns over rising prices and the Trump administration´s aggressive immigration policies .

Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican whose district is being targeted by Democrats and includes the city of Miami, called the elections elsewhere a ‘wake-up call.’ 

She said Hispanics also want a secure border and a healthy economy but some relief for ‘those who have been here for years and do not have a criminal record.’

‘The Hispanic vote is not guaranteed,’ Salazar said in a video posted on X last month. ‘Hispanics married President Trump, but they are only dating the GOP.’

Higgins, 61, will be the first woman to lead the city of Miami. She spoke frequently in the Hispanic-majority city about Trump´s immigration crackdown, saying she has heard of many people in Miami who were worried about family members being detained

David Jolly, who is running to represent Democrats in the Florida governor’s race next year, said the mayoral election was good news for Democrats in what used to be a battleground state.

‘Change is here. It’s sweeping the nation, and it’s sweeping Florida,’ Jolly said.

The mayoral position in Miami is more ceremonial, but Higgins promised to execute it like a full-time job.

The city is part of Miami-Dade County, which Trump flipped last year , a dramatic improvement from his 30 percentage point loss to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

As Florida´s second-largest city, Miami is considered the gateway to Latin America and attracts millions of tourists. Its global prominence gives Higgins a significant stage as mayor.

Her pitch to voters included finding city-owned land that could be turned into affordable housing and cutting unnecessary spending.

SOURCE PAGE

After Mark Allen Geralds burst into Tressa Pettibone’s home and stabbed her in a twisted rage, her eight-year-old son found her body lifeless on the kitchen floor

Mark Allen Geralds killed a young mum more than 26 years ago(Image: Florida Department of Correction)

A killer convicted more than three decades ago of murdering a mum was today executed on death row.

Mark Allen Geralds became the 18th person killed on death row in Florida alone this year after he was given a three-drug injection at a jail. Asked if he had any last words, Geralds, 58, addressed someone by name, but the name was inaudible. He said: “I’m sorry that I missed you.” He then added: “I loved you every day.”

Once the drugs began flowing, he took about a dozen deep breaths. His body then quivered and twitched, his mouth opening and closing. Within three or four minutes, Geralds became still.

Geralds execution came more than 36 years after he murdered Tressa Pettibone in her own home. Her body was discovered by her eight-year-old son, after he came home from school in Panama City, Florida.

READ MORE: ‘Loving’ wife emotionless after stabbing husband of 27 years to death, court toldREAD MORE: Boy, 15, stabbed to death in horror broad daylight attack on London streetGeralds died in the lethal injection room at Florida State Prison(Image: Birmingham Mail)

After the execution at Florida State Prison near Starke, a representative read a statement on behalf of Ms Pettibone’s family. It read: “Tomorrow, when we wake up, it will be the first time in nearly 37 years that we don’t have to worry about another appeal being filed or another law changing that could potentially thwart the justice we have been fighting so hard for for so long.”

The family described the victim as “a faithful wife, loving mother, daughter, sister, aunt and dedicated friend.” Her family “was her world, and everything she did centred around them,” the tribute added.

Relatives recalled the mum’s love for the holiday season, describing her as a “Christmas nut” who decorated the house with lights, multiple trees and “ornate Santa Clauses and reindeer” and baked cookies, bread, cakes and pies. She enjoyed making gifts, and her family said they still display her handmade crafts every year.

Geralds was a carpenter who had carried out some work at Ms Pettibone’s home in 1988. In February 1989, Geralds ran into Ms Pettibone and her two children at a shopping centre, and Ms Pettibone mentioned her husband was away on business.

Later, Geralds approached Ms Pettibone’s son at a video arcade and asked when the boy’s father would return, and what time he and his sister left for and returned from school each day. Investigators found Geralds had subsequently pawned jewellery with traces of Ms Pettibone’s blood on it, and plastic ties used to bind Ms Pettibone matched ties found in Geralds’ car, court records showed.

Geralds was convicted of murder, armed robbery and other charges and sentenced to death in 1990. The Florida Supreme Court later vacated the sentence but affirmed the conviction, and Geralds was resentenced to death in 1992.

SOURCE PAGE

These are the key developments from day 1,385 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Published On 10 Dec 202510 Dec 2025

Click here to share on social media

share2

Share

Here’s where things stand on Wednesday, December 10 :

Fighting

• Ukrainian troops holding parts of the beleaguered city of Pokrovsk have been ordered to withdraw from hard-to-defend positions in the past week, Ukraine’s top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskii, said.

• Syrskii said the situation in Pokrovsk remains difficult for Ukrainian forces, with Russia massing an estimated 156,000 troops in the area under cover of recent rain and fog.

• Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, said that Moscow’s forces were advancing along the entire front line in Ukraine and were also focused on Ukrainian troops in the surrounded town of Myrnohrad.
• Russia said air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 121 Ukrainian drones throughout Tuesday.
• A member of the United Kingdom’s armed forces was killed in Ukraine while observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said. The ministry said the British soldier was killed away from the front lines with Russian forces.

• Ukraine’s state gas and oil company, Naftogaz, said that Russian drones had damaged gas infrastructure facilities, but there were no casualties.

• Russia’s Syzran oil refinery on the Volga River halted oil processing on December 5 after being damaged by a Ukrainian drone attack, the Reuters news agency reported, citing two industry sources.

• Ukraine will introduce more restrictions on power use and will allow additional energy imports as it struggles to repair infrastructure targeted by Russian strikes, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.

Ceasefire

• Ukraine and its European partners, Germany, France and the UK, will present the US with “refined documents” on a peace plan to end the war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
• Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that allies of Ukraine worked on three separate documents, including a 20-point framework for peace, a set of security guarantees and a post-war reconstruction plan.
• At a United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine, Deputy US Ambassador Jennifer Locetta said the United States is working to bridge the divide in peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv. She said the aim is to secure a permanent ceasefire, and “a mutually agreed peace deal that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity for real prosperity”.
• Russia’s UN ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said, “What we have on the table are fairly realistic proposals for long-term, lasting settlement of Ukrainian conflict, something that our US colleagues are diligently working on.”
• Pope Leo said Europe must play a central role in efforts to end the war in Ukraine, warning that any peace plan sidelining the continent is “not realistic”, while urging leaders to seize what he described as a great opportunity to work together for a just peace.

Politics and diplomacy

• Zelenskyy said he was prepared to hold elections within three months if the US and Kyiv’s European allies could ensure the security of the vote. Wartime elections are forbidden by law in Ukraine, but Zelenskyy, whose term expired last year, is facing renewed pressure from US President Donald Trump to hold a vote.
• The Kremlin said that European claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to restore the Soviet Union were incorrect and that claims Putin plans to invade a NATO member were absolute rubbish.
• The European Union is very close to a solution for financing Ukraine in 2026 and 2027 that would have the support of at least a qualified majority of EU countries, European Council President Antonio Costa said.
• Japan has denied a media report that it had rebuffed an EU request to join plans to use frozen Russian state assets to fund Ukraine.

Regional security

• Three men went on trial in Germany, accused of following a former Ukrainian soldier on behalf of a Russian intelligence service as part of a possible assassination plot.

Sanctions

• US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said he discussed US sanctions on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft with Ukrainian Prime Minister Svyrydenko.

SOURCE PAGE

Godwin AsedibaBBC News Komla Dumor Award winner, Eastern Province, Sierra Leone

Andre Lombard / BBC

Namina Jenneh is mourning her 17-year-old son who died while mining for gold

There is a sense of disbelief in this Sierra Leonean village as people weep in front of the bodies of two teenage boys wrapped in white cloth.

The day before, 16-year-old Mohamed Bangura and 17-year-old Yayah Jenneh left their homes in Nyimbadu, in the country’s Eastern Province, hoping to earn a little extra money for their families.

They had gone in search of gold but never returned. The makeshift pit they were digging in collapsed on them.

This was the third fatal mine accident, leaving a total of at least five children dead, in the last four years in this region.

Mohamed and Yayah were part of a phenomenon that has seen a growing number of children missing school in parts of Sierra Leone to mine the precious metal in potentially lethal pits, according to headteachers and community activists.

The Eastern Province has historically been known for diamond mining. But in recent years informal – or artisanal – gold mining has expanded as the diamond reserves have been depleted.

David Wilkins / BBC

People dig up the rich earther wherever they think they might be able to find gold

Mining sites pop up wherever local people find deposits in this land laden with riches – on farmland, in former graveyards and along riverbeds.

There are few formal mining companies operating here, but in the areas which are not considered profitable, the landscape is dotted with these unregulated pits that can be as deep as 4m (13 feet).

Similar – and equally dangerous – mines can be found in many African countries and there are often reports of deadly collapses.

Most families in Nyimbadu rely on small-scale farming and petty trading for a living. Alternative employment is scarce so the opportunity to earn some extra cash is very attractive.

But the community in the village gathered at the local funeral home know the work also comes at a price, with the loss of two young lives full of promise.

Yayah’s mother, Namina Jenneh, is a widow and had been relying on her young son to help provide for her other five children.

As someone who worked in the pits herself, she acknowledges that she introduced Yayah to mining but says: “He didn’t tell me he was going to that site – if I had known I would have stopped him.”

When she heard about the collapse, she says she begged someone to “call the excavator driver.

“When he arrived, he cleared the debris that had buried the children.”

But it was too late to save them.

Namina Jenneh

Yayah Jenneh was mining in order to help his mother support his five siblings

Ms Jenneh speaks with deep pain. On a mobile phone with a cracked screen, she scrolls through pictures of her son, a boy with bright eyes who supported her.

Sahr Ansumana, a local child protection activist, takes me to the collapsed pit.

“If you ask some parents, they’ll tell you there’s no other alternative. They are poor, they are widows, they are single parents,” he says.

“They have to take care of the kids. They themselves encourage the kids to go and mine. We are struggling and need help. It’s worrying and getting out of hand.”

But the warning goes unheeded – the loss of Yayah and Mohamed has not emptied the pits.

The day after their funerals, miners including children are back at work, their hands sifting sand by the river or inspecting the earth manually excavated in search of the glimmer of gold.

David Wilkins / BBC

Komba Sesay would like to become a lawyer but is missing school in order to mine

At one site I meet 17-year-old Komba Sesay who wants to be a lawyer, but he spends daylight hours here to support his mother.

“There is no money,” he says. “That is what we are trying to find. I am working so I can register and sit my [high school] exams. I want to return to school. I’m not happy here.”

Komba’s earnings are meagre. In most weeks he earns about $3.50 (£2.65) – less than half the country’s minimum wage. But he perseveres in the hope of striking it rich. On some, very rare, good days he has found enough ore to earn him $35.

Of course, he knows the work is risky. Komba has friends who have been injured in pit collapses. But he feels that mining is the only way he can earn some money.

David Wilkins / BBC

The dangerous work sees people digging with minimal tools in order to find some gold

And it is not only pupils who are leaving schools.

Roosevelt Bundo, the headteacher of Gbogboafeh Aladura Junior Secondary School in Nyimbadu says “teachers also leave classes to go to the mining sites, they mine together with the students”.

Their government pay cannot compete with what they may be able to earn from gold mining.

There are also wider signs of change around the mining hubs. What were once small camps have swelled into towns in the last two years.

The government says it is addressing the issue.

Information Minister Chernor Bah tells the BBC that the government remains committed to education but adds that the state recognises the many challenges people face.

“We spend about 8.9% of our GDP, the highest of any other country in this sub-region, on education,” he says, adding that funds go to teachers, school-feeding programmes and subsidies intended to keep children in the classroom.

But on the ground, reality bites. Immediate survival often wins over policy.

Charities and local activists try to remove children from the pits and place them back into school, but without reliable alternatives for income, the pits are too attractive.

Back in Nyimbado, the families of the two dead boys appear exhausted and hollowed out.

The loss is not just of two young lives. It is the steady erosion of possibility for a generation.

“We need help,” the activist Mr Ansumana says. “Not prayers. Not promises. Help.”

You may also be interested in:Getty Images/BBC



SOURCE PAGE

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

McDonald’s in the Netherlands has been skewered online over its 2025 Christmas commercial, which was created entirely by artificial intelligence.

The fast-food giant is the latest major corporation to deliver a fully AI-generated ad campaign, following Coca-Cola, whose advert also raised eyebrows online.

The campaign, commissioned for McDonald’s Netherlands, was created through a partnership between U.S. agency TBWA, an international team of AI specialists, and production company The Sweetshop.

It features several AI-generated people and families all experiencing mishaps in the lead up to Christmas, including presents falling off car roofs, exploding Christmas trees and carol singers performing in blustery, icy conditions.

“McDonald’s unveiled what has to be the most god-awful ad I’ve seen this year,” wrote one user, sharing the clip.

open image in gallery

McDonald’s has been ripped apart online over its 2025 Christmas commercial that was created entirely by artificial intelligence (McDonald’s)

“Fully AI-generated, that’s one. Looks repulsive, that’s two. More cynical about Christmas than the Grinch, that’s three. I don’t wanna be the only one suffering, take a look.”

“Wow this looks like f****** s***,” wrote another, while a third added: “Companies are racing to see who can piss off the most amount of people with the lowest amount of effort.”

Another wrote: “If they were going for creepy, depressing, deeply unfunny, clumsily shot, poorly edited, and inauthentic — nailed it!”

open image in gallery

The ad features several AI generated people and families all experiencing mishaps in the lead up to Christmas, including presents falling off car roofs, exploding Christmas trees and carol singers performing in blustery icy conditions (McDonald’s)

Occasionally, the computer-generated nature of the ad is more obvious, with rogue body parts and other aspects becoming unnaturally twisted.

open image in gallery

Occasionally the computer-generated nature of the ad is more obvious, with rogue body parts and other aspects becoming unnaturally twisted (McDonald’s)

In addition, the AI chaos is set against an altered-lyric version of the festive favorite song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and replacing it with “the most terrible time of the year.”

open image in gallery

The campaign, commissioned for McDonald’s Netherlands, was created through a partnership between U.S. agency TBWA, an international team of AI specialists, and production company The Sweetshop (McDonald’s)

“Not even considering the ai slop, the messaging of the ad is literally ‘f*** christmas, f*** your family, eat mcdonald’s instead’. like what,” wrote another social media user.

open image in gallery

‘A soulless AI advertisement to promote your slop and to denigrate the Christmas time seems a bit too on the nose and just slightly demonic,’ wrote one user (McDonald’s)

open image in gallery

The fast-food giant is the latest to deliver a fully AI-generated ad campaign, following Coca-Cola, whose advert also raised eyebrows online (McDonald’s)

Added another: “A soulless AI advertisement to promote your slop and to denigrate the Christmas time seems a bit too on the nose and just slightly demonic.”

Users also mocked the reported response of The Sweetshop, the company behind the ad, which claimed staff had “hardly slept” for several weeks while writing AI prompts for the commercial.

“AI didn’t make this film. We did,” The Sweetshop director Melanie Bridge said, according to Little Black Book.

One social media user replied: “It genuinely pains me when reading about AI and people use the phrase ‘writing AI prompts’ like it’s something to be proud of artistically.” “Cannot believe our advancement of society is the plague of AI,” wrote another.

open image in gallery

Users were also outraged by the reported response of The Sweetshop, the company behind the ad, who claimed to have ‘hardly slept’ for several weeks while writing AI prompts for the commercial (McDonald’s)

However, Bridge insisted online that the company’s use of AI was not about “replacing craft,” but about “expanding the toolbox.”

“The vision, the taste, the leadership… that will always be human,” she wrote in an Instagram post, sharing the commercial.

“We would never take on an AI project without a director guiding it, minute by minute. And here’s the part people don’t see: the hours that went into this job far exceeded a traditional shoot. Ten people, five weeks, full-time.

open image in gallery

‘Not even considering the ai slop, the messaging of the ad is literally ‘f*** christmas, f*** your family, eat mcdonald’s instead’. like what,’ wrote another social media user (McDonald’s)

“Blood, sweat, tears, and an honestly ridiculous amount of coaxing to get the models to behave and to honour the creative brief shot by shot.”

“The Independent has contacted McDonald’s and The Sweetshop for further comment on the backlash.

SOURCE PAGE

Although the 1-cent coin is no more, a different kind of penny is on the up and up again! 

Stylist Cynthia Kennedy previously told PEOPLE that penny loafers are a “true classic making a comeback,” and, let’s just say, she was spot on. This week, Variety’s newest season of its Actors on Actors series dropped, and lo and behold, Julia Roberts was sporting a sleek black pair during her discussion with Sean Penn. They complemented her suit to a T and looked as polished as a set of heels. 

Gwyneth Paltrow also wore loafers in Europe back in September, while Amanda Seyfried slipped some on for an event last month. In other words, their “comeback” is now, and you don’t want to miss out. Below, check out similar pairs from Amazon. 

Penny Loafers Inspired by Julia Roberts

Instagram / @variety

Qjn Penny Loafers

Amazon

Not only do these sleek penny loafers look a lot like Roberts’ pair, but they’re also very cushy. One shopper said they feel “like walking on pillows.” Another claimed they “fit perfectly” on their narrow feet, and there was “no rubbing or pressure points.” Plus, they cost less than $50, which is a lot more reasonable than pairs that do, in fact, give me blisters. 

Cole Haan Stassi Penny Loafer

Amazon

The Stassi Penny Loafers, which Kennedy actually owns and recommends, are made with real leather, so you get what you pay for. They’re also bunion-friendly, have a padded footbed, and come from an esteemed brand. Just on Amazon, over 100,000 Cole Haan items were purchased in the past three months alone! 

Dream Pairs Platform Chunky Heeled Loafer

Amazon

You want something a little different, you say? Well, this pair is part-loafer, part-heel, so instead of popping on the pumps, you can just wear these instead. They’ll add almost two inches to your overall height and will, quite literally, kick your outfit up another notch. The brand is known for their comfortable and supportive shoes, and this set has a padded footbed and breathable interior lining that won’t soak your feet in sweat. 

Keep scrolling to shop more penny loafers inspired by Julia Roberts now. 

Qiy Penny Loafers

Amazon

Cole Haan Lana Lux Remastered

Amazon

Otndk Slip-On Loafer, $41 with coupon

Amazon

Eastland Classic II Penny Loafer, $81 with coupon

Amazon

SOURCE PAGE