WORLD NEWS
At least 13 killed in Oaxaca train derailment – DW – 12/29/2025
At least 13 people were killed and more than 90 others were injured after an intercity train derailed in the Mexican state of Oaxaca on Sunday.
The Interoceanic Train was carrying 250 people when it derailed near Nizanda, according to the Mexican Navy, which oversees the railway line.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said on X that five of the injured were in critical condition. She said senior officials had been dispatched to the site to assist the families of the victims and that an investigation is underway.
Oaxaca state Governor Salomon Jara Cruz also offered his condolences to those who had lost loved ones in the accident.
At least 13 people were killed and scores more were injuredImage: Rusvel Rasgado/AFP
Mexico’s railway push
The Interoceanic Train was inaugurated in 2023 by Sheinbaum’s predecessor and political ally, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
It was part of a push to develop southeast Mexico and create a strategic freight corridor linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
It involved the expansion of ports and other infrastructure with the goal of competing with the Panama Canal.
But some of the projects, including the Interoceanic Train and the nearby Maya Train, have been criticized over environmental and social issues.
Other incidents have also occurred, such as on December 20 when a train on the Interoceanic route collided with a cargo truck attempting to cross the tracks, although there were no fatalities.
Edited by: Rana Taha
WORLD NEWS
Tim Walz responds to Minnesota fraud scandal after Kash Patel says new claims of stolen taxpayer money ‘just tip of the iceberg’
Tim Walz addressed the ongoing fraud scandal in Minnesota after a viral video showed an empty daycare center with a misspelled sign that received millions in federal funding.
The Minnesota governor claimed he was taking strong action against the alleged fraud, just hours after FBI boss Kash Patel revealed the crisis runs far deeper than initially thought.
‘The governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and ask the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action,’ a spokesperson for Walz told Fox News.
‘He has strengthened oversight – including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed.’
Walz also ‘hired an outside firm to audit payments to high-risk programs, shut down the Housing Stabilization Services program entirely, announced a new statewide program integrity director, and supported criminal prosecutions.’
The governor has been inundated with criticism from concerned Americans questioning how he intends to respond to allegations of widespread fraud within the state.
Initial reports emerged earlier this month of a massive Covid-era scheme involving the federally funded nonprofit group Feeding Our Future.
At least 78 people, 72 of whom are Somali, have been charged in connection with the illicit plot.
Walz shared a series of favorable statistics about life in Minnesota in a statement on X after a daycare was accused of stealing $4 million in taxpayer money
On Friday the crisis worsened when independent journalist Nick Shirley shared footage of an apparently empty Minnesota daycare, which reportedly received millions in taxpayer funds
Walz, who ran as Vice President on the Democratic ticket alongside Kamala Harris in 2024, defended his state on Sunday on X and shared four photographs of him interacting with members of the Somali community.
He wrote about Minnesota: ‘#8 state for safety. #5 state to live in. #3 state for jobs. #2 state to raise a family, and #2 state to retire.
‘We’ve made progress, but there’s more to do to deliver security, opportunity, and freedom to every Minnesotan. I won’t quit fighting until we’re #1.’
His post came after outrage over the alleged fraud grew on Friday when independent journalist Nick Shirley shared footage of an apparently empty Minnesota daycare, which reportedly received millions in taxpayer funds.
Footage of the facility, featuring a misspelled sign as ‘Quality Learing Center’, sparked outrage among lawmakers and allegations state authorities allowed the ‘largest fraud in US history’ to go unchecked.
In response, FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI has long been aware of fraud allegations in the state and threatened action against perpetrators.
‘The FBI believes this is just the tip of a very large iceberg,’ Patel wrote.
‘We will continue to follow the money and protect children, and this investigation very much remains ongoing.’
Initial reports emerged earlier this month of a massive Covid-era scheme involving the federally funded nonprofit group Feeding Our Future
In a lengthy X post on Sunday, FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI has long been aware of fraud allegations in the state and threatened action against perpetrators
‘Furthermore, many are also being referred to immigration officials for possible further denaturalization and deportation proceedings where eligible.’
Addressing the allegations made in Shirley’s video, Patel said the ‘FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota.’
He claimed that the bureau has moving to ‘dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.’
‘Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide.
According to Shirley, the childcare center pocketed $1.9 million from Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) in 2025, bringing the total to $4 million.
Shirley, in his investigation, arrived at the doorsteps of several daycare centers, claiming to be a father looking to enroll his child, but said he never saw any children at the facilities.
He said it was ‘potentially the largest fraud scandal in US history.’
Walz ran as Vice President on the Democrat ticket alongside Kamala Harris in 2024
Footage of the facility, featuring a misspelled sign as ‘Quality Learing Center’, sparked outrage among lawmakers and allegations state authorities allowed the ‘largest fraud in US history’ to go unchecked
Trump has been critical of Rep Ilhan Omar amid the ongoing Somali fraud crisis
In his announcement, Patel emphasized that the FBI has been aggressively targeting a massive fraud network that stole COVID-era food scheme.
‘The FBI has toppled a $250 million fraud network that targeted vulnerable children and exposed a ‘large-scale money laundering’ operation,’ Patel said.
‘The investigation exposed sham vendors, shell companies and large-scale money laundering tied to the Feeding Our Future network,’ he wrote.
‘The case led to 78 indictments and 57 convictions.’
Prosecutors alleged that most of the meals intended for low-income children during the pandemic never existed. Instead, the taxpayer’s money went to luxury homes, cars, jewelry, and real estate abroad.
Walz shared four photographs of him interacting with members of the community in the post
‘These criminals didn’t just engage in historic fraud, but tried to subvert justice as well,’ Patel wrote.
President Donald Trump criticized Governor Tim Walz for allowing Minnesota to become ‘a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.’
He said the perpetrators should be ‘sent back to where they came from.’
Later, he said he would be revoking the temporary protected status of the roughly 700 Somali nationals who have it, which prevents them from being deported.
On Thanksgiving, Trump called Walz ‘seriously retarded’ and also attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar and Minnesota’s immigration policy.
Major UK retail and hospitality brands closed nearly 800 stores in 2025 as businesses restructured amid rising costs and pressure on consumer spending
Poundland is among the chains to have suffered over the year from pressure on shoppers despite its value proposition(Image: Mike Egerton/PA Wire)
A host of major UK retail and hospitality brands have closed stores across the UK this year, with other high street staples shutting their doors permanently. This occurred against a backdrop of strain on consumer finances, rising inflation for most of the year and increased costs for businesses.
Consequently, numerous businesses initiated restructuring efforts or entered administration. Here are some of the major brands that closed sites throughout this year as nearly 800 locations were shut down.
Major chains that closed stores in 2025
Poundland
Poundland is among the chains that have struggled over the year due to pressure on shoppers despite its value proposition. As a result, the group was sold for £1 and embarked on a significant restructuring plan.
This involved the initial closure of 57 stores, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk. The company, which was purchased by investment firm Gordon Brothers, has since announced additional rounds of closures and is expected to have closed more than 100 sites by the beginning of 2026, as part of efforts to reduce its estate from around 800 sites to between 650 and 700 shops.
WH Smith
WH Smith, a mainstay of UK high streets since its first shop opened in 1792, selling everything from crime novels to sweets, has vanished from the high street. This follows the group’s decision to sell all its UK high street retail shops to private equity firm Modella Capital, choosing instead to concentrate on its travel locations, where it will continue to operate under the same brand.
As a consequence, Modella unveiled plans to rebrand the chain as TGJones. In its bid to offload the high street arm, the group proceeded with the closure of 20 stores.
WH Smith had been a stalwart of UK high streets since its first store opened in 1792, selling everything from crime fiction to confectionery. However, the brand disappeared from the high street after the group sold off all its UK high street retail shops to private equity company Modella Capital(Image: Mike Egerton/PA Wire)
Claire’s
The UK branch of fashion accessories company Claire’s fell into administration this year after its American parent company filed for bankruptcy. Once again, Modella Capital stepped in, striking a deal to rescue 156 stores.
However, 145 shops – employing around 1,000 workers – were not included in the deal and subsequently closed.
Pizza Hut
In October, Pizza Hut confirmed that 68 of the brand’s UK restaurants would close after the company running its franchise in the country went into administration. It also closed 11 delivery sites as part of a restructuring plan, putting 1,210 employees at risk of redundancy.
DC London Pie, the company operating Pizza Hut’s UK dine-in restaurants, appointed administrators following a downturn in the sector. American hospitality giant Yum! Brands, which owns the global Pizza Hut business, purchased the remaining UK restaurant operation in a rescue deal, saving 64 sites.
In October, Pizza Hut confirmed that 68 of the brand’s UK restaurants would shut after the business running its franchise in the country entered administration(Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
Bodycare
Bodycare was one of the brands to vanish from UK high streets for good after it closed all its approximately 150 stores. The retailer, which was established in 1970 in Lancashire, sold beauty products, fragrances and other bathroom items.
At the start of this year, it employed up to 1,000 people but faced challenges due to increasing costs and a lack of funding, which also impacted supplier relationships and led to stock shortages.
Quiz Clothing
The fashion chain Quiz closed 23 of its stores after going into administration in February, affecting around 200 employees. Despite being purchased in a pre-pack administration deal by a subsidiary of the founding Ramzan family, it still closed the shops.
Quiz began the year seeking emergency funding but fell into insolvency after failing to secure a deal.
Leon
Leon is shutting approximately 20 of its restaurants following a significant restructuring in December. The company announced it will close the doors of the worst-performing of its 71 stores.
This followed the group’s acquisition by co-founder John Vincent from supermarket group Asda.
Select Fashion
Select Fashion was another chain to stop trading in 2025, after the womenswear business struggled with mounting losses. The business shut all its roughly 80 stores earlier this year and went into liquidation after failing to find a buyer.
Homebase
Home improvement retailer Homebase closed 65 outlets between January and March following its tumble into administration towards the end of 2024. Retail conglomerate CDS, headed by The Range’s owner Chris Dawson, acquired the brand but couldn’t rescue all locations.
Homebase executives described recent years as “incredibly challenging” for DIY retailers, citing “a decline in consumer confidence and spending” in the wake of the pandemic.
New Look
Meanwhile in the retail sector, high street fashion retailer New Look shuttered 15 of its UK outlets throughout the year. The company also announced its departure from the Republic of Ireland, closing all 26 stores across the nation and affecting 347 employees, amid tightened consumer expenditure.
New Look closed 15 stores(Image: Matthew Troke via Getty Images)
Starbucks
In September, Starbucks initiated a restructuring programme that led to the closure of several UK coffee outlets. Whilst the corporation didn’t specify the exact number of sites earmarked for closure, it shut 10 branches in October as part of the initiative.
Fired Earth
Premium tile specialist Fired Earth collapsed into administration in October, leading to the closure of its 20 UK showrooms and 133 redundancies. Competitor Topps Tiles purchased the Fired Earth brand, intellectual property, website and approximately £2.5 million of inventory, but was unable to preserve any of the chain’s retail premises.
Brewdog bars
Scottish craft brewery and hospitality enterprise Brewdog closed 10 of its venues in July, including its original site in Aberdeen. The closure strategy, forming part of a restructure of Brewdog’s hospitality division, threatened nearly 100 positions.
Monki At the beginning of the year, European fashion behemoth H&M revealed plans to shut its seven outlets under its Monki brand. The company stated that a “limited number” of these would be converted into its sister brand Weekday, but still permanently closed several shops.
Brewdog made changes in 2025(Image: Nigel Harris via Getty Images)
River Island
The retail chain River Island shuttered 33 outlets as part of a restructuring effort to bolster its future prospects. The fashion group implemented a formal restructuring plan amid concerns that the company could tumble into administration without intervention.
It also negotiated rent reductions on 71 other outlets as part of the scheme.
Hobbycraft
In April, the arts and craft retailer unveiled plans to close nine of its outlets, in a move it said would affect up to 126 workers. This follows Modella Capital’s acquisition of the retail business last year.
WORLD NEWS
Three war fronts on the agenda as Benjamin Netanyahu set for talks with Donald Trump | World News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on his way to meet US President Donald Trump in Florida.
Three of Israel’s war fronts are on the agenda: Gaza, Iran and Lebanon.
The White House is expected to want to iron out the next phase of Trump‘s peace plan in Gaza, which involves a Palestinian technocratic government and the demilitarisation of the territory through an international stabilisation force composed of foreign troops.
Israel has said three countries, including Indonesia, are ready to deploy in Gaza, but Netanyahu is still expected to stall on demilitarisation and reject any plans to disarm Hamas that does not include the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
‘We are still in 7 October’ – last hostage’s family
In the lead-up to the meeting, his defence minister Israel Katz said about Gaza’s future: “We are deep inside Gaza and we will never leave Gaza, there will be no such thing. We’re there to defend, to prevent what happened in the past.”
Israeli strikes have continued through the ceasefire period.
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in October. Pic: Reuters
The Gaza health ministry said more than 400 people have been killed and at least 1,000 others injured since the ceasefire started on 10 October.
More on Benjamin Netanyahu
In the meeting, Netanyahu is also expected to push for more strikes on Iran and argue that its nuclear programme still needs to be addressed.
This could be in opposition to Trump’s foreign policy priorities, especially after his strong stance on ending Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June.
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Lebanon is also on the table for discussion.
Israel has not upheld its end of the ceasefire agreement and has continued to bomb southern Lebanon and even strike the capital, Beirut.
Is Hezbollah regrouping?
Israel’s Channel 13 has reported that Netanyahu will present Trump with intelligence to expand growing operations against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The future of the Middle East currently hinges on how Trump reacts to Netanyahu’s desire to continue Israel’s war effort in the region.
I always thought of Gaza as a place where time folded in on itself. A closed world – dense, familiar, overwhelming – where you grow too fast or not at all.
I was the child my aunts, my older cousins, and even my friends’ mothers would pull into conversations about family issues, relationships, and everyday problems.
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My teacher called me “the sharpened tongue”, not because I was rude, but because I refused to be shaped into someone softer, quieter, more acceptable.
Sometimes, I slipped into the moments that reminded me I was a child – like sewing tiny clothes for my Barbies with my cousins.
But usually, I hovered somewhere between the world of children who didn’t quite understand me and the world of adults whose conversations I somehow understood.
The world calling
On Fridays, my family used to drive from our neighbourhood in as-Sudaniya down the coastal al-Rashid Street to Rafah – about an hour’s drive.
One of those days, Gaza felt less like a cage, more like a home.
I was 12, and my siblings and I joked about old memories – the way my brother used to mispronounce words, the tiny disasters that became inside jokes only we understood.
We didn’t wander far from my parents, talking and laughing, then walking to the shore as the smell of spiced fish and the cool sea breeze wrapped the day in something warm and familiar.
They aren’t grand memories, just mine.
I always knew I would leave. I remember a family gathering when every girl my age was asked where she planned to study – in Gaza, they meant, naming local universities as if the question had no other geography.
When it was my turn, I blurted: “Study in Gaza? I’m going abroad. I’ll be a journalist like my father.”
Some people encouraged me. Others laughed. But I already felt the world outside calling.
When I left Gaza in 2019 at 17 to study international relations, it was the first time I flew on my own, and because I was under 18, I carried a court document permitting me to travel alone.
At the Rafah crossing, I stood between my father and older brother, Omar, memorising their faces.
Once I crossed into Egypt, long hours of waiting rooms and security checks began, the quiet panic of not knowing whether my name would be called to go through or be sent back.
Cairo Airport, then Istanbul, and finally Cyprus – each stop a threshold I had to pass.
At every airport, I was pulled aside for extra searches because of my black passport. Officers asked why I was travelling alone, where I was going, what I planned to study – ordinary questions to them that felt like tests I had to pass to earn a life outside the only world I knew.
Asil Ziara on the beach in Gaza in 2010 [Courtesy of Asil Ziara]
‘You’re not in Gaza anymore’
My first night in Cyprus, I slept more deeply than I ever had in my life.
When I woke to a loud sound, my body panicked, as if it were an explosion. I ran into the corridor only to find suitcase wheels dragging across the floor.
Then my mind caught up with my body: You’re not in Gaza anymore.
That morning, I wandered the dorms looking for a mini market. Someone told me it was in the basement, but I got lost in the corridors, trying to buy an adapter and some toast.
Everything felt unfamiliar – especially the silence.
Nothing hummed, nothing hovered, nothing threatened. The stillness almost frightened me.
My first real conversations were at the English prep course at the university. It was a small classroom that felt like a tiny world: Classmates from Cyprus, Turkiye, Lebanon, Morocco, Libya.
We traded words and accents, and my teacher loved how quickly I learned new vocabulary.
When I told people I am from Palestine, some heard “Pakistan”, or pointed vaguely at their maps; I showed them pictures, then places.
In classes, some asked whether we “actually had a life” there. One person asked, sincerely, if Gaza existed. The confusion wasn’t malicious; it was a vacuum in the world’s imagination where my home is.
Once, in a market, I helped an elderly man find a carton of milk. After thanking me, he introduced himself, mentioning he was Israeli. My chest tightened. I told him my name anyway.
Carrying Gaza in exile
Within my first year, Gaza began to feel far away, like a vivid dream I had woken from too quickly.
Every street I learned, every bus route, every ordinary morning added a layer of distance. That lasted for years – until October 7, 2023, when the dream ended, and the distance collapsed.
During the war, I worked remotely with my father, a journalist in Gaza – translating, monitoring, waiting for his messages to know he was still alive.
Fear found me; I shut myself in a room for months, terrified to sleep.
When I finally slept after weeks, I woke to the news that my cousin Ahmed had been killed.
Ahmed was in his 30s, and everyone used to call him Saddam because he was born on the day Saddam Hussein fired Scud missiles on Israel.
He used to call me “ya koshieh”, a teasing nickname that meant “dark-skinned one” – a silly, small joke that somehow felt like protection.
The guilt over his death was immediate and irrational, as if my wakefulness could have kept him alive.
We lost more family: my uncle Iyad and his only daughter, and my uncle Nael and his wife, Salwa. Israel erased an entire branch of our family in a night.
I began to understand how much of Gaza I had carried into exile.
Asil Ziara on her graduation day, July 12, 2023, in Cyprus [Courtesy of Asil Ziara]
I started therapy in Cyprus: talk sessions, then trauma-focused work once I got a diagnosis – post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD.
I’m steadier now, but I don’t think trauma ever fully ends – not for people from Gaza. It shifts, softens, resurfaces. The work is not to “get over it”, but to learn how to live while it continues.
I often say I was born in Palestine, but shaped in Cyprus. Gaza gave me awareness; exile gave me the language to understand it.
Egypt, and later Oman, added new layers to the same unanswered question: How do you carry a home that keeps breaking?
Maybe this is why, over the past two years, I’ve worked and planned to rebuild my life, to pursue a master’s degree in diplomacy.
I want to try to understand the world whose decisions shaped my childhood, the power structures that determined so much of my story.
When people hear “Gaza,” they often think “destruction”.
The people of Gaza are like anyone else – except their struggle is multiplied by forces beyond their control.
My story is one of millions. But I hope it makes someone somewhere feel that Gaza is more than a headline.
Gaza is people.
And people deserve to live.
A third of Reform UK’s council leaders across the country have expressed vaccine-sceptic views, openly questioning public health measures that keep millions safe.
The leaders of four of the 12 councils where Reform is in charge or the largest party – Kent, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Durham – are among those in the party who have publicly criticised vaccinations.
The health minister Zubir Ahmed, an NHS transplant and vascular surgeon, described their remarks as “dangerous and utterly irresponsible”, saying that politicians who cast doubt on vaccines risked exposing children and vulnerable people to harm.
It comes after a controversial doctor, the cardiologist Aseem Malhotra, used his main-stage speech at Reform’s conference in September to air a claim that the Covid vaccine had caused cancer in the royal family, which drew immediate condemnation.
Malhotra, a senior adviser to the vaccine-sceptic US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy, has long been publicly hesitant about Covid vaccines, claiming they pose a greater threat than the virus itself – a view debunked repeatedly by factcheckers.
Reform’s chair, David Bull, described Malhotra as the man who “worked with me to write Reform UK’s health policy”. Vaccine hesitancy, however, appears to run throughout the party. Nigel Farage, his deputy, Richard Tice, and the Conservative defector Danny Kruger have all raised doubts.
The first Reform council leader, Linden Kemkaran, who runs Kent county council, suggested in September that the party should hold an inquiry into whether Covid vaccines were linked to cancer, even though there is no medical evidence to back up the notion.
She told Times Radio that Reform was “not afraid to debate topics that other people have decided must be silenced” and that a link was “something we should talk about. Definitely”.
The party’s leader in Worcestershire, Jo Monk, told a council meeting in November that she acknowledged the role vaccinations had played in disease prevention, but “remains undecided on certain immunisations”, prompting concern among opposition councillors.
“My perspective is shaped by personal experiences, reactions to vaccines myself, as well as conversations with several medical practitioners, who themselves hold a range of views on this topic,” she said.
The Warwickshire county council leader, George Finch, shared doubts about the latest chickenpox vaccine on LBC radio in August, saying “chickenpox parties get it out of the way” and that the virus was “part of life”.
Government ministers hope that adding the chickenpox jab to the childhood vaccination programme will protect some youngsters from severe complications from the virus. It could also reduce the amount of time parents take off work to look after their infected children.
Reform’s leader of Durham county council, Andrew Husband, said in a since-deleted post on X in October 2023 that vaccines were “horrific, like all crimes against humanity”.
Ahmed, who also works in the NHS in Glasgow, condemned the remarks. “These are dangerous and utterly irresponsible comments from senior Reform UK politicians,” he said.
“Vaccinations save lives and politicians who cast doubt on them risk exposing children and vulnerable people to harm. At a time when our NHS is under huge pressure, sowing mistrust in proven public health measures is reckless.
“The British public deserves better than conspiracy theories, snake oil and misinformation from those in positions of power.”
Against a backdrop of mounting vaccine scepticism, public health chiefs have launched national campaigns to drive up childhood vaccinations in particular as concerns grow over falling uptake and serious diseases such as measles re-emerge in England.
A Reform UK spokesman said: “Reform UK strongly supports proven vaccination programmes that protect public health. But as our councillors have highlighted, forcing blind obedience to every vaccine without question or evidence erodes trust, sabotages successful rollouts, and allows misinformation to spread.”
Orla GuerinSenior International Correspondent in Gaziantep, Turkey
BBC
Aya Mustafa wants to return home but not yet
The pull of home can be strong – even when it is a place you can’t remember.
That is how it is for Ahmed, 18. He emerges from a mosque in the heart of Gaziantep in south-east Turkey – not far from the Syrian border – wearing a black T-shirt with “Syria” written on the front.
His family fled his homeland when he was five years old, but he is planning to go back in a year or two at most.
“I am impatient to get there,” he tells me. “I am trying to save money first, because wages in Syria are low.” Still, he insists the future will be better there.
“Syria will be rebuilt and it will be like gold,” he says.
If he goes back, he will be following in the footsteps of more than half a million Syrians who have left Turkey since the ousting of Syria’s long-time dictator, Bashar al-Assad, in December 2024.
Many had been here since 2011, when civil war began devouring their country.
In the years that followed, Turkey became a safe haven, taking in more Syrians than any other country. The number reached 3.5 million at its peak, causing political tension and – on occasion – xenophobic attacks.
Officially, no Syrian will be forced to go, but some feel they are being pushed – by bureaucratic changes, and by a waning welcome.
Civil society organisations “are getting the message from the authorities that it’s time to go”, says a Syrian woman who did not want to be named.
“I have a lot of good Turkish friends. Even they and my neighbours have asked why I am still here. Of course we will go back, but in an organised way. If we all go back together, it will be chaos.”
Getty Images
Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December 2024
Aya Mustafa, 32, is eager to leave – but not yet. We meet under a winter sun by the stone walls of a castle, which has towered over Gaziantep since the Byzantine era. Her hometown, Aleppo, is less than two hours’ drive away.
She says going back is a constant topic of conversation in the Syrian community.
“Every day, every hour, we speak about this point,” says Aya, whose family were lawyers and teachers back home, but had to start again in Turkey, baking and hairdressing to earn a living.
“We are talking about how we can return, and when, and what we can do. But there are many challenges, to be honest. Many families have children who were born here and can’t even speak Arabic.”
Then there is the level of destruction in new Syria – where war has done its worst – and where the interim president, Ahmed Al Sharaa, is a former senior leader of Al Qaeda who has worked to reinvent his image.
Aya saw the ruins of Aleppo for herself when she went back to visit. Her family home is still standing but now occupied by someone else.
“It’s a big decision to go back to Syria,” she says, “especially for people with elderly relatives. I have my grandmother and my disabled sister. We need the basics like electricity and water and jobs to survive there.”
For now, she says, her family can’t survive in Syria, but they will return in time.
“We believe that day will come,” she says, with a broad smile. “It will take some years [to rebuild]. But in the end, we will see everyone in Syria.”
AFP via Getty Images
Syria’s interim President, Ahmed Al Sharaa, is a former leader of Al Qaeda who has worked to reinvent his image
A short drive away, we get a very different view from a Syrian family of four – father, mother and two teenage sons. The father – who does not want to be named – runs an aid organisation helping his fellow countrymen. Over glasses of tea and helpings of baklava, I ask if he and his family would move back. His response is swift and adamant.
“No, not for me and for my family,” he says. “And the same goes for my organisation. We have projects inside Syria, and we hope to extend that activity. But my family and my organisation will stay here in Turkey.”
Asked why, he lists problems with the economy, security, education and the health system. Syria’s interim government “hasn’t any experience to deal with the situation”, he tells me. “Some ask us to give them a chance, but one year has passed and the indications are not good.”
He too has visited the new Syria, and, like Aya, was not reassured. “The security situation is very bad,” he says. “Every day there are killings. Regardless of who the victims are, they have souls.”
His voice softens when he speaks of his 80-year-old father in Damascus, who hasn’t seen his grandsons for 12 years, and may never see them again.
For now, he and his family can remain in Turkey, but he’s already making contingency plans in case government policy changes.
“Plan A is that we will stay here in Turkey,” he says. “If we cannot, I’m thinking about plan B, C and even D. I am an engineer, always planning.”
None of those plans involve a return to Syria.
If going home is hard, staying in Turkey isn’t easy either. Syrians have “temporary protection” that comes with restrictions. They are not supposed to leave the cities where they are first registered. Work permits are hard to get, and many are in low paid jobs, living on the margins.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – who backed the uprising against Assad – has insisted that no Syrian will be driven out, but refugee advocates say there are growing pressures beneath the surface.
They point to the ending of free medical care for Syrians from January, and new government regulations which make it more expensive to hire them.
“These new elements cast a shadow over how voluntary returns are,” says Metin Corabatir, who heads an independent Turkish research centre on asylum and migration, IGAM.
And he says presidential and parliamentary elections – due by 2028 – may be another threat for Syrians here.
“Normally President Erdogan is their main protector,” Mr Corabatir tells me. “He says they can stay as long as they want. And he repeated this after the regime changed. But if there is an election, and a political gain for the AKP [ruling party] to make, there might be some policy changes.”
Getty Images
More than half a million Syrians have left Turkey since the ousting of Assad
Fresh elections could revive the xenophobic rhetoric that featured in the last polls, he warns. “Those feelings went to sleep,” he says, “but I am quite sure the infrastructure of this xenophobic attitude is still alive.”
On a cold grey morning at a border crossing an hour’s drive from Gaziantep the hills of Syria are visible, a short distance away.
Mahmud Sattouf and his wife Suad Helal are heading to their homeland – this time just for a visit. They have Turkish citizenship, so they will be able to return. For other Syrians, the journey is now one-way.
Mahmud, a teacher, is beaming with excitement.
“We are returning because we love our country,” he says. “It’s a great joy. I can’t describe it in words. As we say in English: ‘East, west, home is best’.”
He and Suad will move home in about a year, he tells us, when Syria is more settled, along with their four sons, and their families.
“I am 63,” he says, “but I don’t feel like I am an old man. I feel young. We are ready to rebuild our country.”
How will it feel to be back for good? I ask.
“I will be the most happy man in the world,” he says, and laughs.
WORLD NEWS
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump claims security guarantees for Kyiv 95% done but warns of ‘thorny issues’
Recap: Trump hails ‘terrific’ Ukraine peace plan meeting with Zelensky and claims ‘a lot of progress’ made
Donald Trump hailed crucial peace talks between the US and Ukraine as “terrific”, but acknowledged “thorny issues” remained before a deal could be achieved over the war with Russia.
The two leaders gave little away during a press conference following the discussions, but Mr Trump said he believed “a lot of progress” had been made.
You can read the full report from Bryony Gooch and Nicole Wootton-Cane below:
Nicole Wootton-Cane29 December 2025 05:00
Trump says Ukraine security deal ‘close to 95%’ done
Donald Trump said security guarantees for Ukraine were nearly finalised, with talks “close to 95 per cent” complete.
He admitted, however, that some “thorny issues”, especially the control of territory in the eastern Donbas region, remained unresolved.
Trump was speaking after hosting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Florida for talks, which both described as productive.
Further US-Ukraine talks are set for next week.
Maroosha Muzaffar29 December 2025 04:15
Russian submarine followed spy ship into British waters as it mapped gas pipeline
A Russian submarine was deployed alongside a spy ship to map critical undersea infrastructure around Britain, it has emerged.
An anti-submarine Merlin Mk2 helicopter could be seen from the photo tracking the Yantar in the Irish Sea from November last year; a British submarine also emerged from the surface nearby.
It is believed to be one of several operations where Russian submarines have accompanied the Yantar into waters close to the British Isles, according to The Sunday Times.
The Independent’s Bryony Gooch has this story:
Nicole Wootton-Cane29 December 2025 04:00
Watch: Trump says ‘we’ll get it done’ and shakes hands with Zelensky ahead of peace talks in Florida
Trump says ‘we’ll get it done’ and shakes hands with Zelensky ahead of peace talks in Florida
Nicole Wootton-Cane29 December 2025 03:00
Putin critic sentenced to six years in prison by Russian court
A Russian court has sentenced a pro-war activist and critic of President Vladimir Putin to to six years in prison on Thursday.
Sergei Udaltsov is the leader of the Left Front movement that opposes Putin and is also affiliated with the Communist Party.
Nicole Wootton-Cane29 December 2025 02:00
Ukraine is leveraging its powerful – and cheap – new drone killers for air defence
Nicole Wootton-Cane29 December 2025 01:00
Analysis: Trump uses Zelensky peace talks to indulge in conspiracy theories about 2020 election and the ‘Russia hoax’
Even as he tried to boast once again Sunday about his supposed record of peacemaking, it is becoming increasingly possible that Trump’s very public refusal to give up his hurt feelings could make a solution — or the political will to enact it — all the more difficult.
John Bowden29 December 2025 00:21
Russia wants to build a nuclear power plant on the moon in the next few years
This ambitious project aims to supply energy for its lunar space programme and a joint research station with China, as global powers intensify their efforts in lunar exploration.
Nicole Wootton-Cane29 December 2025 00:00
Trump hails ‘terrific’ Ukraine peace plan meeting with Zelensky and claims ‘a lot of progress’ made
You can read the full report from today’s events below:
Nicole Wootton-Cane28 December 2025 23:45
Washington and Kyiv will speak again next week, Zelensky says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he and President Donald Trump made significant progress in talks, and agreed that US and Ukrainian teams would meet next week to finalise issues aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“We had a substantive conversation on all issues and highly value the progress that the Ukrainian and American teams have made over the past weeks,” Mr Zelensky said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
Nicole Wootton-Cane28 December 2025 23:37
WORLD NEWS
Hero of Bondi’s lavish new digs as he’s seen for the first time since getting his $2.5million reward for his breathtaking bravery – as he’s released from hospital and breaks his silence in international TV interview
Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed has moved into a penthouse suite at the Crown Casino in Sydney after being handed $2.5million for his bravery, as he breaks his silence about disarming one of the massacre gunmen.
Mr Al Ahmed rushed in to wrestle a shotgun from Sajid Akram, 50, when he opened fire on the crowd at a Jewish Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach on the evening of December 14.
Akram’s son, Naveed, who is accused of killing 15 and injuring dozens more, allegedly shot Mr Al Ahmed several times in the moment of breathtaking heroism.
Footage of the incident saw Mr Al Ahmed hailed a hero across the globe, and sparked an online appeal which raised $2.5million, presented to him in hospital last week.
Now Mr Al Ahmed has finally spoken about his heroics in an interview with a US TV network, set to air overnight.
‘I did not worry about anything,’ he told Australian CBS News journalist Anna Coren.
‘My target was just to take the gun from him, and to stop him from killing a human being – and not killing innocent people.’
On Monday, the father of two was spotted by the Daily Mail living the high life on the 33rd-floor balcony of a lavish suite at the Barangaroo casino’s hotel in Sydney CBD.
In the footage Mr Al Ahmed is seen disarming the gunman
Mr Al Ahmed was shot during the attack
He was spotted on the balcony of the Crown Towers hotel
He was discharged from hospital at the weekend and is recovering from major surgery to save his arm after being repeatedly shot in the terror attack.
Mr Al Ahmed, still wearing a sling on his left arm, has been joined by his family at the suite as he comes to terms with his new wealth and fame after saving the lives of countless others.
Despite being hailed as a hero, Mr Al Ahmed said his thoughts remain with those who did not survive.
‘I know I saved lots of people’s lives, innocent kids and women and men,’ he said. ‘I know I saved lots – but I still feel sorry for the lost.’
Dramatic footage showed him leap from behind a parked car to wrestle Sajid Akram to the ground, successfully disarming him before he was wounded in the crossfire of the firefight between police and the second gunman.
‘I jumped on his back, hit him,’ he said.
‘I hold him with my right hand and start saying a word, you know, like to warn him, drop your gun, stop doing what you’re doing, and it’s come all in fast.
‘And emotionally, I’m doing something, which is I feel something, a power in my body, my brain.
‘I don’t want to see people killed in front of me, I don’t want to hear his gun, I don’t want to see people screaming and begging, asking for help, and that’s my soul asking me to do that.’
Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed has been discharged from hospital two weeks after being shot
He was spotted on Monday afternoon soaking up the sunshine on the balcony of his $1250-per-night suite
Mr Al Ahmed, still wearing a sling on his left arm, has been joined by his family at the suite as he comes to terms with his new wealth and fame
His gripping and emotional TV interview was filmed at the Crown Towers hotel in Barangaroo where Mr Al Ahmed is recovering before returning to his family home.
He was spotted on Monday soaking up the sunshine on the balcony of his $1250-per-night suite with sweeping views of Sydney Harbour.
Last week it was revealed his family, who live overseas, have been granted visas to travel to Australia to support him during his recovery.
While his parents Mohamed and Malakeh were already in Australia on holiday when he was shot, his siblings who are scattered across several countries have been desperate to see him.
The federal government stepped in to grant visas to his brothers and sisters, according to his migration lawyer Sam Issa.
They are expected to travel to Sydney from Germany, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates, while another sister based in Syria is still seeking a visitor visa.
Doctors removed a bullet from his shoulder and repaired nerve damage during his most recent surgery.
However it is believed he may still suffer permanent damage and could require further surgery.
Mr Al Ahmed was given $2.5million for his heroism
Naveed Akram (pictured) is accused of killing 15 and injuring dozens more
Mr Al Ahmed took the gun from Sahid Akram before turning it on him and forced him to retreat
Last week Mr Al Ahmed was handed a cheque for $2.5million after the fundraiser attracted more than 43,000 donations from around the world.
Before the attack, he had planned to sell his tobacco shop in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, and the business was sold while he was recovering in hospital.
According to his lawyer, he has not begun to consider plans for his future because of the extent of his injuries and the long recovery still ahead.
The passenger said she was flung out of her seat when the plane suddenly dropped – Ryanair has stated the plane was forced to make a U-turn due to air turbulence
A Ryanair flight, which departed from Birmingham Airport on Sunday afternoon, was forced to return to the UK after issuing a general emergency code (file image)(Image: Getty Images)
A passenger aboard the Ryanair flight forced to return to the United Kingdom after a mid-flight emergency has said the experience ‘felt like something out of a horror movie’.
The Boeing 737 MAX, which departed from Birmingham Airport at about 2.50pm on Sunday, December 28, issued a 7700 squawk over Brittany, France, after reaching an altitude of 35,000ft. This code signifies a general emergency.
The Boeing was bound for Tenerife but was forced to return to the UK mid-flight.
“It felt like something you see on a horror movie,” said a 33-year-old passenger from Lichfield, who did not wish to be named.
“We were smooth cruising then out of nowhere all of a sudden the plane jerked to the left extremely quickly and then to the right, it felt like a loss of control, and then we plummeted down and we were flung out of our seats,” the passenger said.
Ryanair flight in mid-air emergency and diverts to UK (Image: Flight Radar)
Passengers informed The Aviation Herald that flight FR1121 experienced turbulence, resulting in injuries to several individuals while cabin service was underway. The flight then made a U-turn and descended to FL100 (flying at 10,000ft).
The aircraft safely touched down back at Birmingham around one hour and 32 minutes after take-off. According to AirLive, it was parked on a remote stand at the airport for paramedics to attend to passengers. The severity of the passengers’ injuries is yet to be determined.
“I came out physically unharmed but the mental toll this has taken it awful… this has really traumatised me,” the woman said.
“The cabin crew said within their 10 years as cabin crew they’ve never experienced anything like it.”
She said other passengers claimed to see a fighter jet pass the Boeing before the incident, but this has not been confirmed.
Ryanair said in a statement: “”FR1121 from Birmingham to Tenerife on 28th December returned to Birmingham Airport shortly after take-off due to air turbulence.
“The aircraft landed normally before passengers disembarked and returned to the terminal, where a small number of passengers were provided with medical assistance. This flight continued to Tenerife at 21:06 local.”
The Mirror has reached out to the airline for further comment.
WORLD NEWS
It’s easy to get lost in multi-point plans and spin – but Zelenskyy’s reaction to Trump said it all | World News
Not going backwards is a win. Given Donald Trump’s fraught relationship with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, that’s important.
The Mar-a-Lago meeting did not materially move things forward but nor was there a bust-up like that Oval Office moment in February.
There were however some notable takeaways.
First, Zelenskyy‘s facial expressions.
Pic: AP/ Alex Brandon
At times he looked exasperated – like when Trump made light of a profoundly important negotiation by talking about the Mar-a-Lago food and the physique of the Ukrainian leader’s generals. Playground stuff.
There was a memorable moment when Zelenskyy’s poker face fell away. He shrugged, then laughed as Trump said: “Russia wants Ukraine to succeed.”
What a profoundly stupid thing for the American president to say. Look at Vladimir Putin’s actions. Listen to his words.
It’s hard to know sometimes whether Trump is just ignorant, tuned out of the detail, or actually in Putin’s pocket. Zelenskyy probably has a view but managed, just, to hold his decorum.
Pic: AP/ Alex Brandon
Beyond the spectacle of Zelenskyy’s face, there were some other important moments – if only because they will act as markers when Trump shifts his position, as he has so many times.
On US security guarantees, Zelenskyy seemed reassured that Trump’s America would provide some sort of military backdrop – to counter renewed Russian aggression in the future. But neither leader spelled out what that would look like.
Ukrainian sources have told me that Trump’s commitment to back his support for Ukraine with security guarantees is a key point (never mind the fact that Trump did this months ago and then backtracked).
Pic: Reuters
The same sources have also said that Trump’s apparent willingness to go to Ukraine and address parliament there, which he articulated today for the first time, is a positive commitment.
Let’s see if he sticks to it, or shifts again, and on the security guarantees.
The most articulate moment from the meandering and confused news conference came from Zelenskyy when he charted progress with percentages.
He said:
- “20-point peace plan, 90% agreed”
- “US-Ukraine security guarantees, 100% agreed”
- “US-Europe-Ukraine security guarantees, almost agreed”
So, that confirms Zelenskyy has accepted US commitments on security guarantees but shows that more work is required to pin down some elements in US-Europe security co-operation.
That’s key because it involves the prospect of European troops on the ground in Ukraine. It’s a Russian redline – and Trump knows that.
It’s easy to get lost in all this: the progress, the positions, the multi-point plans and the spin.
But remember a few fundamentals. First, Trump may want this war to end, but he doesn’t care how it happens. Second, Putin has shown no genuine signals that he wants the war to end. Third, Ukraine doesn’t want to be forced into a subjugating surrender.
A few weeks ago the Americans produced a 26-point plan. It amounted to a Russian wish-list.
Since then, the Ukrainians, with the Europeans and co-ordinating with the Americans, have refined it. It’s 20 points now, and within it are plenty of Ukrainian concessions.
Europe and Ukraine now expect Trump to focus the pressure back on Moscow and to engage Vladimir Putin in a way that moves him.
Don’t hold your breath.
Mexico’s Navy says the train was carrying 250 people when it derailed partially near the town of Nizanda in Oaxaca.
Published On 29 Dec 2025
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A train carrying 250 people has derailed partially in southern Mexico, killing at least 13 people and injuring 98, according to officials.
The Mexican Navy said that the Interoceanic Train linking the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz went off the rails on Sunday as it passed a curve near the town of Nizanda.
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It said that 98 people were injured and that, “unfortunately, 13 people lost their lives”.
The train was carrying nine crew members and 241 passengers at the time of the accident. Of those on board, 139 were reported to be out of danger, while 36 of the 98 injured were still receiving medical assistance.
In a statement posted on X, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that at least five of those injured were in “serious” condition.
Sheinbaum said she has directed the secretary of the navy and other senior personnel to travel to the area and assist the families of those affected. She added that the Ministry of Interior is coordinating the response to the incident.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office said it was opening an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
Uno Noticias Television, a Mexican channel, reported that emergency units were near the site of the accident but faced difficulty in accessing the area.
Images circulating on social media and posted by Mexican news outlets showed one of the carriages of the train on its side, while another was completely separated from the train tracks.
Translation: Passenger train derailed. Interoceanic in the Isthmus. This Sunday, the Interoceanic passenger train derailed, 5 kilometres south of Nizanda, belonging to Asuncion Ixtaltepec, Oaxaca. Injuries have been reported; the train had departed from Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and was heading to Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. Emergency units are near the area, but the difficult access to the site is complicating rescue efforts.
Video clips posted online also showed some of the passengers trapped in the derailed carriages.
A passenger was quoted by Mexico’s La Razon newspaper as saying that before the derailment, the train “was coming very fast”.
“We don’t know if it lost its brakes,” the passenger told La Razon.
In a statement posted on X, Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara Cruz expressed his government’s “heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this unfortunate accident”.
The train runs between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and carries both passengers and freight.
On December 20, a train on the same route collided with a cargo truck attempting to cross the tracks, although the incident did not result in any deaths.
The line was inaugurated in 2023 as a major infrastructure project under then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to develop southeast Mexico.
The initiative was designed to modernise the rail link across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a land bridge connecting Mexico’s Pacific port of Salina Cruz with Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf Coast.
The Mexican government has sought to develop the Isthmus into a strategic trade corridor, expanding ports, railways and industrial infrastructure with the goal of creating a route that could compete with the Panama Canal.
China has launched live-fire military drills around Taiwan, in what it calls a warning to “separatist” forces in Taiwan and “external interference” by foreign parties.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) – the military wing of the ruling Communist party in China – said it had sent naval, air force and rocket forces to surround Taiwan on Monday morning.
The exercise, named Justice Mission 2025, was a “a stern warning against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces”, said a spokesperson for the PLA’s eastern theatre command, Col Shi Yi.
“It is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity.”
On Monday morning Taiwan’s defence ministry accused Beijing of escalating tensions and undermining regional peace. It “strongly condemned” the activity, saying it dispatched “appropriate forces” to respond and conduct counter combat-readiness exercises of its own.
“Defending democracy and freedom is no provocation, and the existence of the Republic of China [Taiwan’s formal name] is not an excuse for aggressors to disrupt the status quo,” the ministry said.
Beijing claims Taiwan is a Chinese province and is preparing to annex it. It is undergoing a massive military modernisation and expansion drive, with the aim of being capable of invasion by 2027, according to US intelligence from several years ago.
The Chinese Communist party (CCP) and its leader, Xi Jinping, have urged Taiwan to accept “peaceful reunification”, deploying a range of encouragements but mostly threats and coercive actions that have intensified in recent years. However, the vast majority of Taiwan’s parliament and people reject the prospect of CCP rule, and Taiwan is boosting its own military defences in resistance.
The PLA’s drills – its first targeting Taiwan since April – come amid weeks of spiralling relations with Japan after its prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said her country would likely become militarily involved if China attacked Taiwan. It also follows an approval by the US government for $11bn in weapons sales to Taiwan, and recent speeches by Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, vowing to boost Taiwan’s defences and achieve a “high level of combat preparedness” by 2027.
All drew furious reaction from Beijing.
In a statement announcing the drills, China’s eastern theatre command said: “The vessels and aircraft will approach the Taiwan Island in close proximity from different directions to test the capabilities of the troops to conduct rapid manoeuvres, form all-dimensional posture, and execute systemic blockade and control.”
The announcement included maps indicating air and maritime areas to avoid, in three large zones around the southern point of Taiwan, and two to its north and north-west.
Justice Mission 2025 is the sixth major PLA military exercise targeting Taiwan since it launched major exercises in 2022 in retaliation for the then US speaker Nancy Pelosi visiting the island. In April it held a two-day operation dubbed Strait Thunder-2025A, prompting speculation there would be a “B” before year’s end.
Taiwanese national security officials have been warning of the likelihood of large-scale drills as part of its pressure campaign against Tokyo following Takaichi’s remarks, said William Yang, senior Northeast Asia analyst for the International Crisis Group. Yang also noted it was the first major exercise during the second term of the US president, Donald Trump, who met with Xi in October but didn’t discuss Taiwan.
Yang said: “Beijing will likely take into account the response from the US [to these drills] and carefully determine how it should formulate and plan the PLA’s military operation.”
Reuters
Since 2022 Beijing has ramped up military drills in the Taiwan Strait
China is holding military drills around Taiwan simulating the seizure and blockade of the island’s key areas, as a warning against “separatist forces”.
The army, navy, air force and rocket force have been dispatched for the drills which include live-fire exercises, the Chinese military said.
Codenamed “Justice Mission 2025”, the drills are taking place days after the US announced the sale of one of its largest weapons packages to Taiwan worth $11bn (£8.2bn). That move drew sharp protest from Beijing which in turn sanctioned US defence firms.
Taiwan’s push to ramp up its defence this year has also angered Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as its territory.
Taiwan’s presidential office has criticised the upcoming Chinese drills, calling them a challenge to international norms.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said that they detected Chinese aircraft and ships around Taiwan on Monday morning, and have deployed their own forces and missile systems to monitor the situation. Its forces are on “high alert” to defend Taiwan and “protect our people”, the ministry said.
In a post on Weibo, the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command – in charge of the Taiwan Strait – described the upcoming military exercise as a “shield of justice”.
“All those plotting independence will be annihilated upon encountering the shield!” the post read.
While some initial drills have begun, the military said it will conduct a major exercise from 08:00 to 18:00 local time on Tuesday.
While China has long called for the “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, it also has a law stating it will resort to “non-peaceful means” to prevent the island’s “secession”.
Beijing has accused Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te of pursuing “Taiwan independence”. The president maintains Taiwan is already a sovereign nation and therefore has no need to formally declare independence.
On Sunday, Lai said in a local television interview that Taiwan needed to “keep raising the difficulty so [China] can never meet the standard” for an invasion.
He also said that his administration was committed to “maintaining the status quo” and would not provoke China – though he added that peace relies on “real strength”.
Polls consistently show that most Taiwanese people want the “status quo”, meaning they neither want to unify with China, nor to formally declare independence.
CCTV
Chinese state media published a map released by the military showing Tuesday’s drill locations around Taiwan
Since 2022 Beijing has ramped up military drills in the Taiwan Strait, usually in response to what it deems as threats such as former US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in 2022 and Lai’s inauguration in 2024.
China’s last live-fire exercise in the Taiwan Strait, held in April, simulated strikes on key ports and energy facilities, the People’s Liberation Army said at the time. Along with the drills, the Chinese military released a series of cartoons depicting Lai as a “parasite”.
This week’s military drills are the first to be held under Yang Zhibin, the new chief of the Eastern Theater Command who assumed his role in October.
Taiwan holds military exercises of its own, both to prepare its population for an attack and showcase its defences to Beijing. This year’s Han Kuang exercise, which took place over 10 days, was the largest and longest one yet.
Since taking office, Lai has vowed to boost defence spending and enhance the island’s defence capabilities in the face of increasing tensions with Beijing.
In October, the Taiwanese president announced the building of a dome-like air defence system to guard against “hostile threats” – though he did not explicitly mention China.
The drills this week in the Taiwan Strait would also aim at deterrence “outside the island chain”, China’s military said.
China’s ties with Japan have plunged to their iciest in years after Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi suggested last month – in response to a question asked in parliament – that Japan’s self-defence forces could step in if China attacked Taiwan.
China has lodged heated protests and issued warnings to its citizens to avoid travel to Japan. Earlier this month, Japan protested after Chinese fighter jets locked radars on Japanese aircraft while Beijing accused Tokyo of “harassing” its forces during a training exercise.
China announced “major” military exercises around Taiwan on Monday amid rising tensions with Japan over the status of the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its territory.
The military exercises, named “Just Mission 2025,” will involve live-fire drills starting on Tuesday, China’s military said.
“This serves as a serious warning to ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces, and it is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity,” Shi Yi, a spokesperson for China’s Eastern Theater Command said in a statement.
“The exercise focuses on training for maritime and aerial combat readiness patrols, gaining integrated control, sealing off key ports and areas and conducting multi-dimensional deterrence.”
Taiwan vows to protect ‘democracy, freedom and sovereignty’
Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te urged China “not to misjudge the situation and become a troublemaker in the region.”
“In response to the Chinese authorities’ disregard for international norms and the use of military intimidation to threaten neighboring countries, Taiwan expresses its strong condemnation,” presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement.
China’s Eastern Theater Command published a diagram showing where drills would be conducted around TaiwanImage: Meng Lijing/Xinhua/picture alliance
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Monday morning that it had detected two Chinese planes and 11 Chinese ships operating around the island in the past 24 hours. China confirmed its Eastern Forces Command was operating in the Taiwan strait.
The Taiwanese Defense Ministry also said it had set up a rapid response center and vowed to “protect democracy, freedom, sovereignty and safety” on the island.
“A response centre has been established, and appropriate forces have been deployed,” the Taiwanese military said, adding that its armed forces “have carried out a rapid response exercise.”
Rising tensions between China and Japan
Democratic Taiwan has governed itself for decades but China considers it to be a separatist province and has long vowed to retake it by force if necessary.
Monday’s announcement comes after Beijing expressed anger over comments by Japan’s new nationalist Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested that any Chinese action against Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” — a designation under Japanese law that opens the door to military intervention.
US riles China with $11 billion arms deal for Taiwan
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It also comes after the United States announced its largest-ever weapons sale to Taiwan, with a package valued at $11.1 billion (€9.4 billion).
While China’s military has conducted live-fire drills and practiced port blockades around Taiwan in the past, Monday’s announcement was the first time it publicly stated that drills were aimed at “deterrence” of outside military intervention.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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Hamas is rebuilding a new Gaza terror apparatus and using the ceasefire with Israel to boost its military, restore a problematic leadership structure and recruit a new generation of teenage fighters, according to a leading national security analyst.
Professor Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital that the pause in fighting has given Hamas breathing room to regroup.
“Everything that is happening will continue happening as long as Hamas continues to effectively control the western part of the Gaza Strip,” Michael said.
“Generally speaking, Hamas now has full freedom of movement,” he warned.
TWO IDF SOLDIERS KILLED AMID ‘SEVERE’ CEASEFIRE VIOLATION, ‘IT’S NOT THE LAST,’ ANALYST SAYS
Hamas terrorists stand guard on the day of the handover of hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023, attack. (Hatem Khaled/Reuters)
Since Israeli forces withdrew from parts of Gaza in October under a new ceasefire framework, Hamas has moved to fill the power vacuum.
At the time, police forces returned to the streets as Hamas fighters targeted and executed suspected opponents.
Multiple reports indicate Hamas is now rebuilding across significant portions of Gaza, including areas where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) previously operated.
A December report by the Jewish News Syndicate found that Hamas is “actively rebuilding its regime of terror” in nearly half of the territory it controls.
TREY YINGST: HAMAS MUST ACCEPT TRUMP PEACE PLAN TO END WAR ONCE AND FOR ALL
Banners with the photograph of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas terrorist leader who was killed in an Israeli attack, are hung on the streets in Tehran, Iran on Oct. 19, 2024. The giant banner hung in Palestine Square read, “Sinwar’s Storm continues.” (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Hamas is also preparing to elect a new political leader following the deaths of Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.
According to The Jerusalem Post, senior Hamas figures Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Mashaal are the contenders, with Hayya seen as the favorite because of his popularity in Gaza and his role in the West Bank.
Michael said the leadership race is unlikely to alter Hamas’s already dangerous course.
“Both leaders are problematic,” he said. “Each one, in his own way, is considered to be more militant and more radical in his Gazan orientation and his support for armed resistance.”
Even Mashaal, often described as more politically oriented, “is still in favor of the continuation of armed resistance,” Michael added.
TRUMP WARNS HAMAS WILL BE ‘HUNTED DOWN, AND KILLED’ UNLESS ISRAELI HOSTAGES RELEASED BY SUNDAY
Hamas politburo member Khalil al-Hayya attends a news conference in Damascus, Syria October 19, 2022. (Yamam al Shaar/REUTERS/File Photo)
“When it comes to Hamas, it doesn’t really matter who is going to be the next political leader of this terror organization.”
Michael said one of the most alarming developments is Hamas’s growing success in recruiting teenagers during the ceasefire.
“It has become very easy for Hamas to recruit teenagers now because they effectively control the western part of the Gaza Strip,” he said, noting Hamas has become “the most reliable employer in the Gaza Strip,” offering small incomes to boys as young as 16 or 17.
“It seems to be very natural for them to join Hamas, because some of them have also lost relatives, and therefore there’s a revenge incentive.”
“They also might prefer to be in the bullyish-types of neighborhoods, like in the ghettos in Chicago,” he said.
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Michael suggested that because Hamas has “full freedom of movement, they have also been rebuilding tunnels.”
“They also appointed new governors to the different districts in Gaza and are reconstituting their government and military stockpiles,” Michael added.
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.