WORLD NEWS
‘All Jewish hearts are broken’ says UK Chief Rabbi on Bondi terror attack visit | World News
The UK’s Chief Rabbi has told Sky News that the Bondi Beach terror attack is a tragedy for all societies, caused by “hateful extremism” that threatens “our entire civilisation”.
Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi in the UK and to the Commonwealth, told Sky News correspondent Nicole Johnston that “all Jewish hearts are broken at this time”.
He said he wanted to fly out to Australia to offer his support to those affected by Sunday’s terror attack, where 15 people were killed.
Some 22 victims remain in hospital following the shooting, carried out at an event marking the start of the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah.
Speaking after landing early on Thursday, Rabbi Mirvis said that as Jewish leader for the Commonwealth: “This is my place. This is where I need to be.”
He added: “I am here as a symbol of the extent that the whole Jewish world’s hearts are broken at this time, and we identify with the Jewish community in Australia. And we’re here to give them support.”
Bondi Beach shooting: Funerals begin for victims
When asked about the Yom Kippur attack at a synagogue in Greater Manchester earlier this year, where two people were killed, Rabbi Mirvis said the Jewish community felt that “we’re shocked, but we’re not surprised”.
“It was shocking to actually see it happening,” he said, “but because of the tone of the hateful rhetoric on the streets of cities in the UK, and the extent to which it wasn’t always dealt with as emphatically as it should have, therefore, terrorism could thrive.
“I’m hearing the same comments here in Sydney. We’re shocked, but we’re not surprised here. The scale is enormous, and it is such a deep, deep tragedy.
“And it’s not just a tragedy for Jewish people. It’s a tragedy for all of our societies because we need to identify not just the symptoms, but also the root causes and amongst the root causes, hateful extremism, which is a threat to our entire civilisation.”
10-year-old Bondi victim a ‘beautiful soul’
He then said that Australian jews “don’t need any lectures” on how to come together after the attack, adding: “It’s coming from the heart. Their souls are so active.
“The bonding together, the feeling of togetherness, the connection to Jews and Judaism, love of the State of Israel, recognition of the demonisation of Israel, of Jews and Judaism, which is part of this whole story – of a desire for people out there to know what the real truth is.
“Standing tall as Jews during these exceptionally difficult times and being positive. We are the people of hope. And right here at Bondi Beach, that’s what I’m picking up on. Great hope.”
Read more from Sky News:
Australia announces tougher hate speech laws
Who were the suspected gunmen in terror attack?
His visit comes after Naveed Akram, 24 and one of the alleged gunmen, was charged on 59 counts, including 15 of murder and a terror charge.
The other alleged attacker, his 50-year-old father Sajid, died at the scene in Sydney.
Police have said the two alleged gunmen – who were shot by officers – were motivated by Islamic State ideology.
A recent trip to the Philippines is under investigation. The older Akram used an Indian passport to travel, while his son used an Australian one.
Who: Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool
What: English Premier League
Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, United Kingdom
When: Saturday December 20, at 5:30pm (17:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream. Click here to follow our live coverage.
Defending champions Liverpool will seek back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since September when they visit Tottenham on Saturday, but the Reds’ woes are far from a distant memory.
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The pressure building on manager Arne Slot, who last year won the title in his first season in charge, was mounting after a run of nine defeats in 12.
The public fallout between the Anfield club and their star forward, Mohamed Salah, has overshadowed the Slot situation – but it has not gone away. Spurs similarly had a sticky run of six defeats in 10 games during October and November and it has hardly improved since.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a game that sees both managers concerned for their immediate futures.
What is the latest on Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future?
Salah has now departed for Egypt duty at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, but it has not changed his situation at Anfield.
Ever since the 33-year-old claimed he had been “thrown under the bus” by the Reds for their woeful season – after he was dropped to the bench for three consecutive games – rumours had been rife that his time on Merseyside was coming to an end.
The Saudi Pro League have made no secret of their desire to make a move for Salah, who was dropped from Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League match in Milan following his outburst.
The forward did return to the bench for the visit of Brighton in the Premier League last week but his time away at AFCON is likely to be surrounded by speculation that the January transfer window will see a switch to Saudi Arabia.
What happened in Tottenham’s last game?
Tottenham were soundly beaten 3-0 at Nottingham Forest last Sunday, in a game that saw rumours of Thomas Frank’s demise as Spurs manager increase.
Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the first two goals for the home side before Ibrahim Sangare ended any hopes of a Spurs comeback in the 79th minute.
What happened in Liverpool’s last game?
Liverpool put aside the Salah saga and the speculation about Slot’s future with a 2-0 win against Brighton at Anfield last Saturday.
Hugo Ekitike scored both goals, the opener in the first minute of the match, while Salah was an early first-half substitute and assisted for the second from a corner kick.
Whether that was Salah’s last game as a Red remains to be seen.
How have Tottenham fared in the Premier League this season?
Tottenham began their Premier League campaign, Frank’s first in charge, with a run of only one defeat in their opening seven games. The North Londoners have since lost five of their last nine in the league.
The run of six defeats in 10, in all competitions, has been followed by two wins, and the defeat by Forest, in their last four in all competitions. It is just one win in seven, however, in the league – a run that has seen Spurs slip into the bottom half of the table.
How have Liverpool fared in the Premier League this season?
Liverpool won their opening seven games of the season in all competitions, excluding the preseason Community Shield defeat on penalties against Crystal Palace.
Four straight defeats followed, which began the run of nine defeats in 12. In Premier League terms, the Reds have only won three of 11 games – losing six. On the back of winning their first five league games of the season, the Anfield club have been able to hold onto a top-half position in the league, and they start the latest round of matches in seventh position – 10 points of leaders Arsenal, who travel to Everton Saturday evening.
How much pressure is on Tottenham manager Thomas Frank?
Tottenham lifted the UEFA Europa League last season, but that was not enough to stop Ange Postecoglou from being axed at the end of the campaign. The recent run of matches has resulted in huge pressure being placed on Frank.
The biggest rumour to mount has been that former Spain and Barcelona midfielder, Xavi, is being lined up to replace Frank.
Spurs have been renowned for being a sacking club, with Frank being the fifth permanent manager since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked in 2019.
Should Frank be shown the door, his would not be the shortest tenure of a Spurs manager in recent times – Nuno Espirito Santo lasted only four months and two days during his 2021 stint in charge.
What happened the last time Tottenham played Liverpool?
Liverpool thumped Tottenham 5-1 in the Premier League at Anfield in April when the sides last met.
Dominic Solanke gave Spurs a 12th-minute lead before Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo responded for the Reds by the break.
Mohamed Salah and a Destiny Udogie own goal completed the rout in the second period.
What happened in the corresponding fixture between Tottenham and Liverpool last year?
It was a Premier League double for Liverpool last season as they won the first meeting of the last campaign with a nine-goal thriller at Tottenham on December 22.
The 6-3 win for the Reds saw Diaz and Salah both hit braces in a game where the away side led 3-1 at the break, and 5-1 by the 61st minute.
When did Tottenham last beat Liverpool?
Tottenham did actually manage to beat Liverpool last season in the first leg of their League Cup semifinal. The 1-0 home win wasn’t enough for Spurs, however, as the Reds had the last laugh, winning 4-0 in the return fixture at Anfield.
Lucas Bergvall scored the only goal in London, while the aggregate score was level at the break in the second leg after Gakpo’s first-half strike. Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk settled matters in the second period.
When did Tottenham last beat Liverpool in the Premier League?
Tottenham’s last league win against Liverpool came in September 2023, courtesy of a 2-1 home.
Curtis Jones saw red in the 26nd minute with Son Hueng-min netting Spurs’ first 10 minutes later.
Gakpo levelled for the Reds on the stroke of half-time but the second half went from bad to worse as Diogo Jota was given his marching orders in 69th minute before Joel Matip put through his own net in the final minute of the game.
Head-to-head
This is the 186th meeting between the sides, with Liverpool winning 90 times and Tottenham emerging victorious on 50 occasions.
The first match was in November 1909 on the old Division One (now the Premier League) with Spurs winning 1-0 in London. Liverpool won the return match that season 2-0 in March 1910.
Tottenham team news
James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski are all injured, while Kota Takai and Radu Dragusin are still deemed short of match fitness as they make their returns from knocks.
Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are both at the Africa Cup of Nations, meaning Frank is set to be without eight players for Liverpool’s visit.
Liverpool team news
Salah is the number one absentee for Liverpool, although the Egyptian did start the last four league games on the bench.
Cody Gakpo, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo are all injured while Conor Bradley is suspended.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez both picked up knocks in the Brighton game and are a doubt, but Jeremie Frimpong is close to a return following a hamstring injury.
Predicted Tottenham starting lineup
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bergvall; Kudus, Simons, Kolo Muani; Richarlison
Predicted Liverpool starting lineup
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Chiesa, Jones, Wirtz; Ekitike
TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with US and global investors to sell the majority of its business in America, TikTok’s boss told employees on Thursday.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive Shou Zi Chew.
The deal, which is set to close on 22 January, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
The deal is line with one unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable “over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community”.
The White House referred the BBC to TikTok when contacted for comment.
TikToksigned a deal on Thursday that sees 80% of its US assets sold to a group of three investors, Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX. The deal ensures the social media platform can continue operating in the United States.
The sale means TikTok will avoid a US government ban and remain available to more than 170 million people who use it in the United States, the company’s CEO Shou Zi Chew told employees.
The company told employees on Thursday that ByteDance and TikTok signed binding agreements with Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX to form a new TikTok US joint venture, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC.
The joint venture will be 50% held by a consortium of new investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX with 15% each; 30.1% held by affiliates of existing investors of ByteDance; and 19.9% will be retained by ByteDance, the memo said, adding that it will have a new, seven-member majority-American board of directors and will “protect Americans’ data and US national security.”
The deal is set to close on January 22. The agreement would end years of uncertainty amid efforts to force ByteDance to divest its US business following multiple threats that it could be shut down for US national security reasons.
TikTok’s algorithm, which powers the short video platform’s video feed, will be retrained on US user data to “ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation,” the memo said. The joint venture will also oversee content moderation and policies within the United States.
More to come on this developing news at dw.com
WORLD NEWS
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth tells military recruiters many young Americans are ‘too fat’ or ‘too dumb’ to serve
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Many Americans are “too dumb” or “too fat” to serve in the military, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a gathering of top recruiters at the Pentagon on Thursday, even as he celebrated recent positive recruiting numbers.
“I know it’s not easy on the basic ingredients on recruiting,” Hegseth said. “Too many of our young people are too fat or too dumb — not dumb, that’s wrong. You know, we’re just not educating them properly or they’ve got criminal records, or ADHD, or all these other things.”
Despite this claim, Hegseth went on to say the policies of the Trump administration, which recently included a “warrior dividend” bonus check for the troops, were driving a surge in recruitment, nonetheless, a sign that young Americans want to join a “war-fighting entity, not a woke institution.”
Hegseth has made a point of focusing on physical fitness throughout his time as secretary, competing in a pull-up challenge against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and railing against “fat generals” in a September speech where he instituted wide-ranging new fitness testing.
Whatever impact the Trump administration’s policies are having, the recruitment surge began before Trump took office.
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Speaking with military recruiters on Thursday, Pete Hegseth said many young Americans are too “dumb,” “fat,” and saddled with criminal records to join the military (Department of Defense)
In a dramatic turnaround from 2022, when the Army missed its recruitment goals by about 25 percent, all the service branches hit their targets by the end of fiscal year 2024.
Observers credit the change to a variety of factors, including the waning of the pandemic and the return of recruiters to school campuses, as well as programs like the Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course, which assists marginal recruits to improve their test and physical fitness scores to qualify for service.
That momentum has continued since Trump took office.
The military is seeing its highest level of enlisted accessions in the past 15 years, the Pentagon announced on Thursday, and the military branches again hit their recruitment targets in the 2025 fiscal year, which ended in September.
open image in gallery
The military branches have rebounded from a pandemic-era recruiting slump in recent years, a trend that predates the Trump administration (Getty)
The Border Patrol has similarly seen encouraging signs and is training a record number of recruits.
The Trump administration has lavished immigration agencies like the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement with unprecedented funding and hefty recruitment bonuses to fuel its deportation crackdown, though the Department of Homeland Security is reportedly struggling to meet a 10,000-person recruiting goal for early next year because new hires are failing physical fitness requirements.
NEED TO KNOW
- Christina Applegate shared a playful video on Instagram, showing herself modeling cherry-red lip stain in bed
- The actress said she was “trying to swallow a pill,” while laughing with her friend, hairstylist Dave Stanwell
- “I’m weird,” Applegate wrote in the caption, where she explained the pill was a “vegan omega” dietary supplement
Christina Applegate is getting playful in a new Instagram video amid her ongoing journey with multiple sclerosis.
In the clip, the Dead to Me actress, 54, showed off her shiny lips while taking a dietary supplement and laughing in bed.
“These lips are killing me,” hairstylist Dave Stanwell, who filmed the Dec. 18 video, says of the Married with Children alum’s cherry-red lip stain, which she explained in a comment was “the one Billie Eilish used haha sacheu. It goes on and then you have to peel. Which is why I was weird laughing. I was trying to have it dry. It’s incredible.”
In the video, Applegate purses her lips before covering her mouth as she tries not to laugh.
Christina Applegate in April 2024.
Emma McIntyre/Getty
“I’m trying to swallow a pill,” Applegate says.
“She’s good at swallowing, ladies and gentlemen,” Stanwell quips in his voice over, while laughing. “We have zero fun together,” he wrote, deadpan, in his own post of the video.
“So many explanations hahaha,” Applegate captioned her post. “First the pill is my vegan omega. And the lipstick are that stuff you put on and then peel off and I love that stuff. And I’m weird. @davestanwell for commentary and laughs.”
“And yes there is an alien behind me,” Applegate says, referencing the green drink bottle on her bedside table. “I shall explain later. No I didn’t go to a rave.”
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In a later comment, Applegate explained the bright cup, saying, “I can’t walk the stairs. And glass is hard for me. So when I get down for water, alien cup.”
Applegate chatted with commenters, who asked about her eyeglasses — “super old Tom Ford,” she explained — and praised how healthy she looks amid her ongoing struggle with MS.
“You’re looking fabulous darling! 😘. Hope you’re feeling as good as you look. ❤️,” wrote one commenter, while another observed, “Smoke show always.”
And as another commented, “From one MS sister to another- I hope you feel as good as you look. Have a joyful holiday season!🎄✨☃️.”
WORLD NEWS
Predator that hasn’t been spotted in Midwest state for over 100 years is suddenly caught on wildlife camera
An elusive member of the weasel family known as fishers have continued their gradual return to Ohio, with one confirmed sighting near Cleveland for the first time in nearly two centuries.
A trail camera captured footage of a fisher earlier this year inside Cleveland Metroparks, marking the species’ first confirmed appearance in Cuyahoga County since the 1800s, park officials said.
The animal was identified by Andy Burmesch, the park system’s wildlife management coordinator.
Cleveland Metroparks announced the sighting in December 13 Instagram post that included video and photographs of the animal moving through a wooded area. The post drew tens of thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.
‘This is tremendously exciting, as this is yet another extirpated native Ohio mammal species to be documented for the first time in Cleveland Metroparks,’ the parks system said in the Instagram post.
‘The return of fishers and other extirpated species like otters, bobcats and trumpeter swans are a result of conservation efforts and emphasize the importance of our healthy forests, wetlands, waterways and natural areas.’
Despite being commonly referred to as ‘fisher cats,’ fishers are neither cats nor fish-eaters. They are forest-dwelling carnivores in the weasel family, closely related to martens, mink and otters.
Fishers are primarily found in southern Canada, New England and New York, with smaller, expanding populations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia.
The first fisher in 100 years was captured on a trail camera in Ohio
A fisher in a pine tree
Adult fishers typically measure 20 to 25 inches in body length, not including tails that can extend up to 16.5 inches and weigh between three and 15 pounds.
They’re also characterized by their long bodies, bushy tails, tapered faced, and rounded ears.
Their diet consists mainly of rodents and other small animals, though they also eat fruit and nuts.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has confirmed more than 40 fisher sightings across several northeast Ohio counties, including Ashtabula, Geauga, Portage and Lake. About two-thirds of those sightings occurred within the past three years.
Wildlife officials said Ohio’s growing population is likely linked to successful reintroduction programs in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Those efforts allowed fishers to reestablish breeding populations, which have since expanded westward into Ohio. Both states now manage regulated trapping seasons.
Evidence suggests the animals are not simply passing through. A fisher found dead along a roadway in Ashtabula County in 2023 was later confirmed to have been pregnant, according to ODNR.
Fisher are forest-dwelling carnivores in the weasel family, closely related to martens, mink and otters
Another fisher struck by a vehicle near Kent in Portage County in April 2024 marked the westernmost confirmed sighting at the time and was the largest collected in Ohio, weighing 13 pounds.
Fishers belong to the mustelid family, which includes more than 50 species worldwide.
They are often mistaken for mink, though mink are significantly smaller and typically have a white patch on the chin or throat and a shorter tail.
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Predator that hasn’t been spotted in Midwest state for over 100 years is suddenly caught on wildlife camera
Bombshell Epstein files show chilling WhatsApps and famous faces – everything to know – The Mirror
Need to know
A tranche of new photographs released ahead of the Epstein files deadline show a number of famous faces and a chilling WhatsApp exchange about paying ‘$1,000 per girl’
More photographs have been released ahead of the ‘Epstein files’ deadline
Everything you need to know
- New photographs released: Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee released 68 fresh photographs on Thrusday obtained from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate – just ahead of a legal deadline for the Department of Justice to release the files in full.
- Famous faces: The images feature several famous faces, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, illusionist David Blaine, director Woody Allen, philosopher Noam Chomsky, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, Google CEO Salar Kamangar, and New York Times columnist David Brooks. The photographs are presented without context, and no wrongdoing is implied.
- Creepy massage photo: One disturbing image shows Epstein sitting behind a desk being massaged by a woman while two other women sit nearby. The faces of all the women in the photo have been obscured with black squares to protect their identities.
- ‘Recruitment’ messages: A screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation found in the files appears to discuss recruiting young women, specifically mentioning an 18-year-old from Russia and quoting an apparent fee of “$1,000 per girl.”
- ‘Lolita’ references: The photo dump includes images of a young woman with lines from the novel Lolita – a book which details a middle-aged man’s obsession with a 12-year-old girl – written on multiple body parts, including her foot, chest, and neck.
- Epstein files deadline imminent: The legal deadline for the US Department of Justice to release the full archive of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents – signed into law by US President Donald Trump in November – will pass on Friday.
- READ MORE: Seven famous faces in new Epstein photo dump including billionaire and magician
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WORLD NEWS
Vladimir Putin’s spymaster ‘has telephone call with MI6 chief’ as EU leaders meet to discuss Ukraine funding | World News
Vladimir Putin’s spymaster has said he had a “rather lengthy telephone conversation” with the new head of MI6, Russian state news agency Tass has reported.
Sergei Naryshkin, Russia’s foreign intelligence director, said: “A few days ago, I had a rather lengthy telephone conversation with the newly appointed chief of MI6 [Blaise] Metreweli.”
He added that Russian intelligence officers worked officially in London while MI6 officers worked officially in Moscow, according to Tass.
Ms Metreweli took over as chief of the Secret Intelligence Service on 1 October.
Sky military analyst, Michael Clarke believes its shows Russia’s foreign spy chief Sergei Naryshkin “has his own agenda” and Moscow is “trying to imply that the Brits are somehow appealing to them… because of the negotiations going on in Washington”.
Sergei Naryshkin. Pic: AP
EU talks stall amid fears over ‘Russian retaliation’
Mr Naryshkin’s comments came as the European Union held crunch talks on Ukraine funding in Brussels.
EU leaders met at the bloc’s headquarters on Thursday to discuss a plan to use frozen Russian assets – but tensions have arisen, with Belgium vocally opposed to the plan amid fears of Russian retaliation.
Most of the €190bn (£166bn) of assets frozen after the start of the war in 2022 are currently held in Belgium, specifically by Euroclear, the Brussels-based financial clearing house.
Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever said the plan to loan Ukraine the frozen assets “drastically increases the risk of Russian retaliation”.
“It’s not acceptable that this happens to Belgium alone,” he added. “If we jump, we jump together.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he understands “the risks that he is talking about, but I think that we face bigger risks”.
Read more:
Brit who fought for Ukraine jailed by Russia
Belgian PM ‘skeptical’ over Ukraine loan plan
‘We just need a bit more time’
“Ukraine has the right to this money because Russia is destroying us,” he said.
In a post on X, he added: “The decision now on the table – the decision to fully use Russian assets to defend against Russian aggression – is one of the clearest and most morally justified decisions that could ever be made.”
Trump claims peace deal is ‘close’
On the other side of the Atlantic, Donald Trump has been pressuring Ukraine to move quickly to secure a peace deal.
The US president’s envoys are scheduled to meet with a top adviser to Mr Putin in Miami on Saturday, where they are due to discuss the evolving US peace agreement aimed at ending the war.
Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday. Pic: AP
Mr Trump has been optimistic that a deal can be reached.
“Well, we’re getting close to something, but I hope Ukraine moves quickly because Russia is there,” he said. “Every time they take too much time, Russia changes their mind.”
Russia ‘deploys nuclear-capable missiles’ to Belarus
Russia has deployed its latest nuclear-capable missile system to Belarus according to the country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko.
The authoritarian leader said the Oreshnik, an intermediate range ballistic missile system, arrived in the country on Wednesday and is entering combat duty.
He did not provide any further details.
Russia has previously deployed tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, the territory of which it used to launch the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
WORLD NEWS
Instacart settles Federal Trade Commission’s claim it deceived US shoppers | Business and Economy News
The FTC had accused the grocery delivery giant of charging fees to consumers after promising ‘free delivery’.
Published On 18 Dec 2025
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Instacart has agreed to pay $60m in refunds to settle allegations brought by the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that the online grocery delivery platform deceived consumers about its membership programme and free delivery offers.
According to court documents filed in San Francisco on Thursday, Instacart’s offer of “free delivery” for first orders was illusory because shoppers were charged other fees, the FTC alleged.
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The agency also accused Instacart of failing to adequately notify shoppers that their free trials of its Instacart+ subscription service would convert to paid memberships and of misleading consumers about its refund policy.
“The FTC is focused on monitoring online delivery services to ensure that competitors are transparently competing on price and delivery terms,” said Christopher Mufarrige, who leads the FTC’s consumer protection work.
An Instacart spokesperson said the company flatly denies any allegations of wrongdoing, but that the settlement allows the company to focus on shoppers and retailers.
“We provide straightforward marketing, transparent pricing and fees, clear terms, easy cancellation, and generous refund policies — all in full compliance with the law and exceeding industry norms,” the spokesperson said.
The shopping platform is currently under scrutiny after a recent study by nonprofit groups found that individual shoppers simultaneously received different prices for the same items at the same stores.
The FTC is investigating the company and has demanded information about Instacart’s Eversight pricing tool, the news agency Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Instacart has said that retailers are responsible for setting prices, and that pricing tests run through Eversight are random and not based on user data.
Lindsay Owens, the executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative, an economic think tank, criticised the grocery platform for using artificial intelligence (AI) to tweak its prices.
“At a time when families are being squeezed by the highest grocery costs in a generation, Instacart chose to run AI experiments that are quietly driving prices higher,” Owens said in written remarks provided to Al Jazeera.
She also called on the administration of US President Donald Trump to take action to prevent such price manipulation from continuing into the future.
“While the FTC’s investigation is welcome news, it must be followed with meaningful action that ends these exploitative pricing schemes and protects consumers,” Owens said. “Instacart must face consequences for their algorithmic price gouging, not just a slap on the wrist.”
On Wall Street, Instacart’s stock is taking a hit on the heels of the settlement, finishing out the day down 1.5 percent.
A former Nascar driver is believed to be among seven people killed in a plane crash at a regional airport in North Carolina, an official says.
A spokesperson for the highway patrol said that people on the ground confirmed that racer Greg Biffle was among those who boarded the aircraft.
The Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 local time (15:20GMT), officials investigating the incident told reporters.
“Heartbreaking news out of Statesville,” North Carolina Governor Josh Stein posted on X. “Beyond his success as a NASCAR driver, Greg Biffle lived a life of courage and compassion and stepped up for western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.”
The Cessna C550 aircraft is owned by a private company associated with Greg Biffle, a retired Nascar driver, CBS, the BBC’s US partner, reported.
Professional baseball player Mitchell Garret wrote on Facebook that Biffle and his family were on their way to spend the afternoon with him.
“Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane… because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us,” he wrote on Facebook. “We are devastated. I’m so sorry to share this.”
Statesville Airport director John Ferguson described the aircraft as a corporate jet and said that it was already engulfed in flames when he arrived on the scene.
The business jet took off around 10:06 local time and was in the air briefly before the crash.
It crashed on the east end of the runway and authorities do not yet have information on the cause of the crash.
Statesville Airport will remain closed until further notice as crews clear debris off the runway, Mr Ferguson told reporters.
Officials did not provide any information about deaths or people aboard the aircraft during the media conference.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, said it was launching a go team to investigate the fatal crash. The team expects to arrive on scene on Thursday night.
The Statesville Regional Airport (KSVH) is owned by the City of Statesville, which is about 45 minutes north of Charlotte.
It also provides aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several Nascar racing teams.
Biffle, whose racing career spanned two decades, was named one of Nascar’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023. The 55-year-old won 19 Cup Series races in the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series.
Known as The Biff, the Vancouver, Washington, native received national notice in 1995 when during that year’s Nascar Winter Heat Series, according to his Nascar profile.
He made a name for himself in the Craftsman Truck Series, winning the 1998 Rookie of Year award and the 2000 series championship.
He went on to be named 2001 Rookie of the Year in the Xfinity Series and to win the 2002 championship, becoming the first driver with championships in both the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series.
He also co-founded the organisation’s Sand Outlaws Series. Although he scaled back on racing after 2016, he seemingly came out of retirement in 2019 for a one-off race at Texas Motor Speedway, which he won.
“Racing is racing,” he told Nascar.com in 2021. “It’s that adrenaline, you want to be better than the competition, you want to build a better piece and have a faster car. I just enjoy the competition.”