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GRAHAM GRANT: Voters have to seize chance to breach the permafrost of toxic nationalism stifling this country’s future
The SNP is the political equivalent of knotweed – but the Scottish parliament election this coming May provides an unmissable opportunity to root it out.
Scotland could then emerge from a long spell of torpor and stagnation and start to draw a line under almost two decades of failure and mismanagement.
For anyone who harbours such a hope, a weekend interview with John Swinney was a depressing foretaste of the possible future that lies in store.
The First Minister said he wants to be a ‘long-term’ leader and confirmed his plan to serve a full term if re-elected – and to stand again in 2031.
He was speaking just before the Christmas break at Holyrood but perhaps he’d already had a tad too much of the festive sherry.
Either way, it’s a depressing forecast because the polls currently predict an SNP victory, although mercifully a majority appears to be unlikely.
John Swinney, pictured with former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, wants to be a ‘long term’ leader for Scotland
The SNP’s stewardship of Scotland has been dogged with paralysis and inertia
Nationalist rule has been a kind of permafrost for public life, leading to paralysis and inertia, where meaningful reform is off the table (or badly botched).
Take the NHS, which has been judged to be ‘financially unsustainable’ by the public sector watchdog Audit Scotland.
A newspaper profile of the ‘invisible’ NHS chief executive Caroline Lamb, who makes only rare appearances on the front line of hospital care despite earning more than £200,000 a year, contained a telling line.
A political insider noted a ‘weariness in the civil service about suggestions of any reform that might rattle a special adviser to the SNP’.
Those in charge, they told the Sunday Times, had little choice but to ‘manage decline’ – though it’s more of a desperate downward spiral, with no one willing to be held accountable for the manifest deficiencies of the NHS.
Government by special adviser is no way to run a country, though you might wonder what’s so special about their advice given the crisis in so many of our public services.
Scotland is crying out for exactly the sort of change that will ‘rattle’ SNP functionaries but it’s nowhere on the horizon.
The only ‘blue-sky thinking’ offered by the SNP is yet more costly rumination about another independence referendum.
Many hours have been wasted by those wearied civil servants, living in fear of seemingly all-powerful SNP strategists, drawing up plans for a parallel universe.
As we reported last week, Mr Swinney’s £30,000 independence relaunch was a humiliating flop, with as few as 28 people bothering to read the Fresh Start With Independence paper on some days.
The Scotland in Union campaign group found only 3,934 people in the UK browsed the prospectus in its first 33 days online.
There’s nothing remotely ‘fresh’ about these rehashed ideas which fail to address unresolved questions from 2014 on currency and any number of other issues – or at least to provide any convincing answers.
The useful idiots of the Left-wing commentariat provide a willing audience for much of this propaganda, helping to provide a sheen of credibility for the most preposterous proposals.
A case in point is a recent interview with Mr Swinney by former New Labour spin chief Alastair Campbell and former Tory minister Rory Stewart for their podcast, The Rest is Politics.
It’s hard to imagine a chummier chat, with Mr Stewart admitting that neither he nor his co-host had mugged up on Scottish education, so they let the First Minister off the hook with a soft-soap exercise.
Try and envisage the polar opposite of Jeremy Paxman in his heyday and you’d come close to the sycophancy and deference shown to Mr Swinney.
He was allowed to trot out soundbites about how wonderful schools are, with no consequences.
As fervent Remainers, Mr Campbell and Mr Stewart naturally gave Mr Swinney an easy ride, though sadly they must have run out of time to ask him about the chances of Scotland regaining EU membership in the event of independence – and why it could lead to the adoption of the Euro as our currency.
True, it’s only one podcast – albeit a popular one – but this docile approach is reflected in much of the media, including the BBC.
A shameful paucity of opposition at Holyrood is another contributory factor, fuelling the sense among many voters that there’s no real alternative.
Yet while SNP ‘perma-rule’ continues, there’s no hope of boosting the economy despite Mr Swinney’s talk of growth. It is hard to take seriously from a party which once governed alongside the Marxist Greens.
He also has a deputy, Kate Forbes, who was held up as a business guru – but one of her big ideas was to tell new firms to set up in cupboards to cut their rates bills.
Ms Forbes won’t be around for much longer but how many of us truly think there’s anyone waiting in the wings with a sounder grasp of how businesses operate?
Meanwhile, taxes remain high and may go higher in the Scottish Budget next month, notwithstanding Mr Swinney’s insistence that income tax won’t be hiked.
Mind you, he also said his party hadn’t broken manifesto promises ruling out tax-grabs, when it patently had – so nothing he says can be trusted.
Scotland is already the highest-taxed part of the UK after the SNP used the powers of devolution not to relieve the tax burden but to increase it to eye- watering levels.
Another SNP government will inevitably mean higher taxation, whether in this Budget or the next, given that the £5billion hole in the nation’s finances is greater than the annual budgets for transport or policing and public order.
Taking a 40-year view, the Scottish Fiscal Commission projects that Scottish public spending will exceed funding for that spending by, on average, 4.1 per cent each and every year.
That represents a sharp deterioration from estimates issued as recently as April.
Adjusting to account ‘for a possible UK Government response to its [own] fiscal sustainability pressures’ widens the gap between spending and revenues to 13.2 per cent a year.
Total devolved social security spending in Scotland is due to soar from £6.22billion this year to £6.93billion next year, and then to £7.92billion by 2027/28 – and £9billion a year by the end of the decade.
More and more taxpayers’ cash is being ploughed into state handouts, with no plan, and indeed no appetite, to cut back on spending.
It means more pain in the pipeline for those who work for a living, and for future generations who will have to pay the cost of a bloated welfare system.
Polling day in May will be a chance to change government but also to change Scotland – and free it from the yoke of toxic nationalism.
Leading the list of people recognised by the King in the New Year’s honours are actor Idris Elba along with ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean who won Olympic gold
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Two people killed in Anthony Joshua car crash named as ‘close friends’ of boxer | World News
The two “close friends” of Anthony Joshua killed in a car crash in Nigeria in which the British boxer was injured have been named by his spokesperson.
Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele died in Monday’s road traffic accident which happened on a busy highway around lunchtime.
They were both described as being “integral members” of the boxer’s team.
Joshua suffered minor injuries as he travelled in the back of a black Lexus that hit a truck in Makun, Ogun State, about 30 miles from the country’s biggest city, Lagos.
(L-R) Sina Ghami, Anthony Joshua and and Latif Ayodele. Pic: Mauricio Sulaiman
Authorities said the former two-time world heavyweight champion, 36, was taken to hospital for treatment along with another injured passenger, while Ghami and Ayodele were killed.
Joshua and the other survivor are described by officials as being in a “stable” condition.
Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
Naming the two men who died, Joshua’s spokesperson said in a statement: “It is with the deepest and most profound sadness that we confirm, following a road traffic accident in Lagos Nigeria earlier today, the death of Sina Ghami and Kevin ‘Lateef’ Ayodele.
“Both were close friends and integral members of Anthony’s team. We respectfully ask that space and privacy be given to the families at this time while they process this truly shocking and devastating news.”
Pic: @akinyemiabdulq1/X
Pic: @FRSCNigeria/X
The Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu said on X: “I have spoken with AJ to personally convey my condolences over the passing of his two close associates, Kevin Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami in the recent accident.
“I wished him a full and speedy recovery, and prayed with him. AJ assured me he is receiving the best possible care.”
A statement on X by Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, from Matchroom Boxing, also confirmed the victims’ names, saying: “With profound sadness it has been confirmed that two close friends and team members Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele have tragically passed away.”
The crash happened on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway near Sagamu, at about midday local time (11am UK time), according to the Nigerian federal road safety corps (FRSC).
Joshua is on holiday in Africa following his win over US YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami just over a week ago.
Pic: @FRSCNigeria/X
The FRSC said preliminary findings indicated the Lexus was “suspected to be travelling beyond the legally prescribed limit” and “lost control” while overtaking before crashing into the truck, which was parked by the side of the road.
“The primary causes of the crash being excessive speed and wrongful overtaking constitute serious traffic violations and remain among the leading causes of fatal road crashes on Nigerian highways,” the corps said on X.
Joshua, who is the son of British-Nigerian parents, attended a boarding school in Ikenne, around 50 miles from where the crash happened, before returning to Britain at the age of 12.
Pictures released by the FRSC show the badly damaged Lexus that Joshua was travelling in and the red Sinotruck that it collided with.
Footage posted on social media shows the British ex-world heavyweight champion apparently wincing in pain as he is helped out of the wreckage by a crowd.
Other clips show him in an emergency vehicle, wearing only a pair of shorts, as he is driven away from the scene.
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Residents of Saint-Tropez paid tribute to French film icon Brigitte Bardot on Monday outside her home, a day after the actress died at the age of 91. The actress-turned-far-right agitator will be buried in a seaside cemetery near the southern town, local officials said.
Published On 29 Dec 2025
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Jair Bolsonaro underwent a second “phrenic nerve block procedure” on Monday to treat persistent hiccups.
The treatment went well and the former Brazilian president’s condition is stable, according to his medical team.
The far-right politician, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup to overturn the 2022 election, has been in hospital since Christmas Eve after being granted judicial permission to leave prison to undergo hernia repair surgery.
That operation was successful, but because the bout of hiccups has persisted for months, Bolsonaro underwent a non-surgical, minimally invasive procedure on Saturday to block the phrenic nerve on the right side.
The phrenic nerve is described in medical literature as a vital nerve originating in the neck that controls the diaphragm, the primary muscle involved in breathing. Doctors decided to postpone the same procedure on the left side until Monday to mitigate potential risks.
“Procedure completed. Thank God, we are now waiting for him to be taken back to his room,” wrote the former president’s wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, who has been accompanying him during his hospital stay. Earlier, she said: “It’s been nine months of struggle and anguish with daily hiccups.”
Dr Claudio Birolini later told journalists that Bolsonaro was expected to be discharged on 1 January, provided his recovery remains uneventful.
At the request of his defence lawyers, Bolsonaro was authorised by supreme court justice Alexandre de Moraes to leave prison for the hernia surgery. In a statement issued while he was in the hospital, Bolsonaro endorsed the 2026 presidential bid of his son, Flavio Bolsonaro.
Once discharged from the hospital, Bolsonaro will return to serving his sentence at a federal police jail in Brasilia.
He has had health problems since he was stabbed during a presidential campaign event in September 2018.
Bolsonaro underwent multiple abdominal surgeries after the attack.
With Reuters and Agence France-Presse
Wedaeli Chibelushi,
Ameyu Etana,BBC Afaan Oromooand
Farah Lamane,BBC Somali
AFP via Getty Images
Residents of Somaliland’s capital city, Hargeisa, have been celebrating Israel’s declaration
Israel has taken the controversial decision to recognise the breakaway state of Somaliland as an independent nation, sparking condemnation from many other countries.
China is the latest to condemn the decision, with its foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian telling reporters: “No country should encourage or support other countries’ internal separatist forces for its own selfish interests.”
China outlined its position ahead of the UN Security Council holding an emergency session to discuss Israel’s decision.
Israel on Friday became the first country in the world to acknowledge Somaliland as a standalone republic, more than 30 years after the region declared independence from Somalia.
Somaliland’s president called the development “a historic moment”, but Somalia furiously rejected Israel’s move as an attack on its sovereignty.
Dozens of countries and organisations, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the African Union, have also condemned Israel’s surprise declaration.
Why does Somaliland want independence?
A breakaway, semi-desert territory on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, Somaliland declared independence after the overthrow of Somali military dictator Siad Barre in 1991.
The move followed a secessionist struggle during which Siad Barre’s forces pursued rebel guerrillas in the territory. Tens of thousands of people were killed and towns were flattened.
Though not internationally recognised, Somaliland has a working political system, government institutions, a police force, and its own currency.
Its history as a distinct region of Somalia dates back to nineteenth century colonial rule. It was a British protectorate – known as British Somaliland – until it merged with Italian Somaliland in 1960 to form the Somali Republic.
Those in favour of Somaliland’s independence argue that the region is predominantly populated by those from the Isaaq clan – an ethnic difference from the rest of Somalia.
Also, Somaliland, home to roughly six million people, enjoys relative peace and stability. Its proponents argue that it should not be shackled to Somalia, which has long been wracked by Islamist militant attacks.
However, Somalia considers Somaliland to be an integral part of its territory. The government in Somalia’s capital city, Mogadishu, has repeatedly said that any recognition of Somaliland’s independence would contravene Somalia’s sovereignty.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has also characterised Israel’s declaration as an “existential threat” to his country’s unity.
Why did Israel recognise Somaliland as an independent state?
In a phone call with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was acknowledging Somaliland’s “right of self-determination”.
He also said official recognition would be “a great opportunity for expanding” the countries’ partnership.
However analysts say there are strategic reasons for Israel’s declaration.
“Israel requires allies in the Red Sea region for many strategic reasons, among them the possibility of a future campaign against the Houthis,” Israeli think tank the Institute for National Security Studies said, referring to Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels, in a paper last month.
“Somaliland is an ideal candidate for such cooperation as it could offer Israel potential access to an operational area close to the conflict zone.”
Israel repeatedly struck targets in Yemen after the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, in response to Houthi attacks on Israel that the rebels said were in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In response to Israel recognising Somaliland, the Houthis warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a “military target” for their forces.
A few months ago, a number of news outlets reported that Israel had contacted Somaliland over the potential resettlement of Palestinians forcibly removed from Gaza.
Israel did not comment on the reports, but at the time, Somaliland said that any move by Israel to recognise its independence would not have anything to do with the Palestinian issue. Both Somalia and the Palestinian Authority have suggested Israel’s recognition of Somaliland could be linked to a plan to displace Palestinians.
“Somalia will never accept the people of Palestine to be forcibly evicted from their rightful land to a faraway place,” Somalia’s president told his parliament on Sunday.
Offering his perspective, US-based Africa analyst Cameron Hudson told the BBC that Israel has recognised Somaliland primarily because it is trying to counter Iran’s influence in the Red Sea region.
“The Red Sea is also a conduit for weapons and fighters to flow up the Red Sea into the Eastern Mediterranean. It has traditionally been a source of support and supply to fighters in Gaza. And so having a presence, having a security presence, having an intelligence presence at the mouth of the Red Sea only serves Israel’s national security interests,” he said.
Why has Israel’s move been condemned so widely?
Israel has been criticised by the likes of Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the African Union, Yemen, Sudan, Nigeria, Libya, Iran, Iraq and Qatar.
In their condemnations, many of these countries have referred to Somalia’s “territorial integrity” and the breaching of international principles.
The African Union has long been concerned that recognising Somaliland could set off a chain reaction, where separatists could demand recognition for the territories they claim.
“Regions could attempt to establish external alliances without the consent of central governments, creating a dangerous precedent that risks widespread instability,” Abdurahman Sayed, a UK-based analyst for the Horn of Africa, told the BBC.
Is there any support for Israel’s declaration?
Countries considered to be allies of Somaliland, or sympathetic to its campaign for recognition, have largely remained quiet.
For instance, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which operates a military port in Somaliland, has not released a statement.
Mr Hudson told the BBC that the UAE is “very much aligned with the Israelis on this question of Somaliland”.
“I think even now today you’re going to see an alignment of Israeli and Emirati interests across the entire Red Sea region,” he added.
Ethiopia’s government has also refrained from commenting. Last year Somaliland agreed to lease part of its coastline to landlocked Ethiopia – a move that angered Somalia.
Mr Abdurahman said Turkey stepped in to mediate between Somalia and Ethiopia. It led Ethiopia to sign an agreement with Somalia’s government, committing to respect its territorial integrity.
“As a result, although Israel’s unilateral recognition of Somaliland may be quietly welcomed by Ethiopia, Addis Ababa appears to have adopted a cautious “wait-and-see” approach,” the analyst added.
Somalilanders had hoped the US would recognise it as an independent state following signals given before Donald Trump began his second term as president.
But in response to Israel’s declaration, Trump suggested to the New York Post that he would not swiftly follow Netanyahu’s lead.
“Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?,” he reportedly said.
More BBC stories on Somaliland:
Getty Images/BBC
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Actor George Clooney, along with his wife Amal Alamuddin Clooney, and their two children, have become French citizens.
The couple and their 8-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander, were granted citizenship, according to a naturalization decree.
The couple has been living in France with their children after uprooting the family to get away from the culture of Hollywood, the Academy Award-winning actor and director said in October.
AMANDA SEYFRIED BAILS ON ‘TRICKY’ HOLLYWOOD FOR QUIET FARM LIFE
George Clooney joined by his wife, Amal Clooney, at the Tony Awards. The couple and their two children have been granted French citizenship. (Jenny Anderson)
In an interview with Esquire, Clooney, 64, opened up about his life in France and explained why they chose to move his family to the countryside.
“You know, we live on a farm in France. A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid I hated the whole idea of it. But now, for them, it’s like – they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”
CANDACE CAMERON BURE EMBRACES SMALL-TOWN LIFE AWAY FROM HOLLYWOOD
George Clooney (Christopher Anderson/Esquire)
“I was worried about raising our kids in L.A., in the culture of Hollywood. I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life,” he continued.
In addition to his family home in France, George reportedly owns an estate in England, a villa on Lake Como in Italy, and another property near his family in Kentucky, People reported.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Clooney’s representatives for comment.
(Taylor Hill/FilmMagic ;Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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During his Esquire interview, Clooney talked about living in France, away from the glamor of Hollywood.
“France – they kind of don’t give a s— about fame,” he said. “I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids.”
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Far-right media personality and former White House strategist Steve Bannon appears to be turning against Vice President JD Vance on social media as Republican infighting heats up.
Grace Chong, the CFO and COO of Bannon’s media company, has shared a series of posts on X criticizing the vice president. Vance and Chong have sparred previously, despite their shared ties to the MAGA movement. Last year, Vance called Chong a “mouth breathing imbecile” after she criticized him for missing a Senate vote.
Chong’s recent posts have centered around the unfolding Minnesota fraud cases, in which prosecutors have said that billions in federal funds supporting several state-run programs were stolen.
The cases have become a political flashpoint. Many of the defendants charged are Somali Americans, which has prompted President Donald Trump to call Minnesota a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” and claim that Somali immigrants “ripped off that state.”
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Former White House strategist and far-right media personality Steve Bannon is hitting out at Vice President JD Vance over the unfolding Minnesota fraud cases (Getty)
In a post Saturday, Vance claimed that what’s happening in the state “is a microcosm of the immigriation fraud in our system.” In response, Chong called the statement “word salad.”
Vance also shared a video posted by YouTuber Nick Shirley about the fraud case, writing: “This dude has done far more useful journalism than any of the winners of the 2024 @pulitzercenter prizes.”
Bannon responded directly to Vance’s post via the conservative social media platform Gettr, which Chong shared a screenshot of on X.
“Nick is a Patriot but American Citizens must NOT depend on the media —DoJ/FBI Joint Task Force with DHS /HHS/State Dept should have been deployed months ago so now we can perp walk or deport,” Bannon wrote.
Chong also re-shared the post herself, adding a photo of Vance with the caption: “We are going to do f****** nothing.” In another post responding to Vance’s praise of Shirley, she wrote: “Where is the DOJ/FBI Joint Task Force??”
The Independent has contacted Vance’s office for comment.
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High profile members of the MAGA movement have broken from their colleagues in recent weeks, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. (AP)
Republican infighting, particularly over the investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has made headlines in recent weeks.
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a staunch ally of Trump, is preparing to resign next month after falling out with the president and her members of her party over several issues, including Epstein’s case.
Greene launched a new wave of criticism against the president in a New York Times profile published Monday. She outlined the start of her break with Trump, highlighting the president’s remarks at the funeral of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
“He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them,” Trump said at the September memorial service. “That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them.”
Greene told the Times: “That was absolutely the worst statement… It just shows where his heart is.”
NEED TO KNOW
- Darius Rucker put on an impromptu show inside of a Nashville airport
- The Grammy winner shared fan footage of himself playing inside the airport as unsuspecting patrons went about their day
- “Keep your head on a swivel!” he captioned the post, adding laughing emojis
Darius Rucker is spreading holiday cheer with a little bit of music!
On Monday, Dec. 29, the Grammy-winning country music artist, 59, shared fan footage of him performing to a small crowd of unsuspecting guests for an impromptu performance inside of a Nashville airport.
“Walking in the Nashville airport means seeing Darius Rucker singing one song and maybe 15 people stopping,” wrote the fan in text displayed across the original video, which the star shared to Instagram.
Darius Rucker in June 2025.
Terry Wyatt/WireImage
In the clip, the “Wagon Wheel” singer performs in the airport by himself with a mic stand and guitar, wearing a baseball cap and glasses as patrons ate and carried on with conversations around him. A decorated Christmas tree was also in his background.
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“Keep your head on a swivel!” Rucker captioned the clip along with two laughing emojis, adding that the original video was taken by a passerby named MaryCate McNamara.
Fans in the comments section couldn’t believe their eyes.
“Sorry boss.. flight’s delayed,” one person wrote, joking about how they would have stayed to watch the rare show.
Another added, “I don’t trust anyone in that airport that didn’t immediately stop and enjoy the show. I’d miss a flight over that opportunity!”
One person praised those lucky enough to notice Rucker’s performance.
“I love this moment. You’re touching roots doing it for the craft. 15 people had a deeply special moment instead of with thousands. It all touches my heart,” the fan said.
Earlier this year, Rucker announced his engagement to Emily Deahl. The Hootie & the Blowfish frontman proposed to the TikTok star in his home state of South Carolina in October.
Darius Rucker and Emily Deahl.
Darius Rucker/Instagram
“Thank you for showing me a level of happiness I have never known. The day I met you I knew I didn’t want to go another one without you. Now I don’t have to,” he captioned a joint Instagram announcement with his fiancée on Oct. 8.
The following month, Rucker appeared on Today and gave an update on their wedding. “We don’t really have any plans,” the “Alright” singer said. “We’re not going to plan — we’re just gonna get married and have a big party somewhere.”
He also shared that his fiancée, a singer-songwriter and content creator, has been in his life for some time now. “Emily and I, we’ve been together for a couple of years, and she’s an amazing human being,” Rucker said.
Emergency services rushed to a bungalow on Hardy Place in Upperthorpe, Sheffield, on the night of December 27 where a woman was tragically declared dead at the scene
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Standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump threatened Iran and said “we’ll knock the hell out of them” if Tehran rebuilds its military forces. When asked by an Israeli reporter about regime change, however, he didn’t give a clear answer.
Published On 29 Dec 2025
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US pledges $2bn in new UN model for delivery of humanitarian assistance | US foreign policy
The United States on Monday pledged $2bn in assistance to tens of millions of people facing hunger and disease in more than a dozen countries next year, part of what it said was a new mechanism for the delivery of life-saving assistance following major foreign aid cuts by the Trump administration.
The US slashed its aid spending this year, and leading western donors such as Germany also pared back assistance as they pivoted to increased defense spending, triggering a severe funding crunch for the UN. The billions of dollars in assistance pledged by Washington on Monday will be overseen by the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs, the state department said, under what it described as new model of assistance agreed with the UN that aims to make aid funding and delivery more efficient and increase accountability for the spending of funds.
UN data shows total US humanitarian contributions to the UN fell to about $3.38bn in 2025, equating to about 14.8% of the global sum. This was down sharply from $14.1bn the prior year, and a peak of $17.2bn in 2022.
The US and UN will sign 17 memorandums of understanding with individual countries identified by the US as priority countries, officials from the state department and UN said in Geneva.
But some areas that are priorities for the UN, including Yemen, Afghanistan and Gaza, will not be receiving US funding under the new mechanism, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said, adding that the UN will seek support from other donors to find funding for those.
Jeremy Lewin, state department under secretary of state for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom, said further countries would be added as more money is contributed to the mechanism.
“These are some countries where I think our interests overlap … But over time, we will thoughtfully add additional countries,” Lewin said.
A UN spokesperson said Ukraine, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Sudan were among the countries covered in Monday’s package.
But Gaza – where aid agencies have repeatedly said far more aid needs to get into the small, crowded enclave – is not covered in Monday’s announcement and will instead be handled on a separate track, Lewin said.
A family in a makeshift tent in Gaza City, Gaza, on 28 December. Photograph: Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea/Anadolu/Getty Images
He said that the US had approved over $300m after Donald Trump’s administration helped broker a Gaza ceasefire “to give pipeline to the UN agencies”, adding that the US will be working to get additional donors for a pooled mechanism under a separate track for Gaza under phase two of the deal.
Fletcher said that donors would have “specific requirements” around which countries and what type of work should be funded.
“But the humanitarian action at the other end of that must always be neutral and impartial and independent, and nothing in the work that we’re doing together here in this partnership undermines those principles,” he said.
Lewin said the focus of the funding was on life-saving assistance, while funding for climate-related and other projects that were not a priority for the administration would be cut out. Earlier in December, the United Nations launched a 2026 aid appeal for $23bn to reach 87 million people at risk – half the $47bn sought for 2025, reflecting plunging donor support despite record global needs.
Fletcher acknowledged it had been a tough year for the UN, following a slew of cuts while humanitarian crises in war-torn countries such as Sudan surged, but said he was optimistic following the US pledge.
“Millions of lives will be saved across 17 countries,” said Fletcher.
Navin Singh KhadkaEnvironment correspondent, BBC World Service
David Liano
Officials say the problem of waste piling up is more evident on higher camps of Everest
A scheme to encourage climbers to bring their waste down from Mount Everest is being scrapped – with Nepalese authorities telling the BBC it has been a failure.
Climbers had been required to pay a deposit of $4,000 (£2964), which they would only get back if they brought at least 8kg (18lbs) of waste back down with them.
It was hoped it would begin to tackle the rubbish problem on the world’s highest peak, which is estimated to be covered in some 50 tonnes of waste.
But after 11 years – and with the rubbish still piling up – the scheme is being shelved because it “failed to show a tangible result”.
David Liano
Clean-up campaigns have usually focused on lower camps of Mt Everest as it is difficult and costly to operate at higher altitudes
Himal Gautam, director at the tourism department, told the BBC that not only had the garbage issue “not gone away”, but the deposit scheme itself had “become an administrative burden”.
Tourism ministry and mountaineering department officials told the BBC most of the deposit money had been refunded over the years – which should mean most climbers brought back their trash.
But the scheme is said to have failed because the rubbish climbers have brought back is usually from lower camps – not the higher camps where the garbage problem is worst.
“From higher camps, people tend to bring back oxygen bottles only,” said Tshering Sherpa, chief executive officer of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, which runs an Everest checkpoint.
“Other things like tents and cans and boxes of packed foods and drinks are mostly left behind there, that is why we can see so much of waste piling up.”
Mr Sherpa said on average a climber produces up to 12kg (26lbs) of waste on the mountain where they spend up to six weeks for acclimatisation and climbing.
Apart from the “flawed rule” that required climbers to bring back less trash than they produce, authorities in the Everest region said lack of monitoring has been the main challenge.
“Apart from the check point above the Khumbu Icefall, there is no monitoring of what climbers are doing,” said Mr Sherpa.
Nepalese authorities are hoping a new scheme will be more effective.
Getty Images
Even the lower parts of the Everest region below the base camp see abandoned waste by visitors and trekkers
Under the changed rule, officials said, a non-refundable clean-up fee from climbers will be used to set up a checkpoint at Camp Two and also deploy mountain rangers who will keep going to the higher parts of the mountain to make sure climbers bring down their trash.
Tourism ministry officials said it will most probably be $4,000 per climber – the same amount as deposit money – and will come into effect once passed by the parliament.
Mingma Sherpa, chairperson of the Pasang Lhamu rural municipality, said the change was something the Sherpa community had lobbied for for many years now.
“We had been questioning the effectiveness of the deposit scheme all this time because we are not aware of anyone who was penalised for not bringing their trash down.
“And there was no designated fund but now this non-refundable fee will lead to creation of a fund that can enable us to do all these clean-up and monitoring works.”
Getty Images
Increasing number of climbers on Mount Everest has been a growing concern for sustainable mountaineering
The non-refundable fee will form part of a recently introduced five-year mountain clean-up action plan, with Jaynarayan Acarya, spokesperson at the ministry of tourism, saying it was designed “to immediately address the pressing problem of waste on our mountains”.
Although there has been no study quantifying the waste on Everest, it is estimated there are tons of it including human excrement which does not decay on the higher part of the mountain because of freezing temperature.
And the growing number of climbers each year, averaging around 400 with many more supporting staff, has been a growing concern for mountaineering sustainability.
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President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States and Israel have already destroyed Iran’s nuclear program and warned that Tehran would face renewed military action if it attempts to rebuild, as new reports allege the regime is pursuing chemical and biological warheads for its ballistic missiles.
Speaking at Mar-a-Lago alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump issued a blunt warning to Tehran over its nuclear and missile ambitions.
“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down,” Trump said. “We’ll knock the hell out of them.” He added that Iran would be “much smarter” to pursue a deal.
IRAN, ISRAEL AND US AGREE THAT ISLAMIC REPUBLIC NUCLEAR SITES WERE ‘BADLY DAMAGED’ DESPITE LEAKED INTEL REPORT
US President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Jim Waston/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump framed Iran’s defeat as central to regional stability, claiming joint U.S.-Israeli military action had fundamentally altered the Middle East balance.
“We just won a big war together,” he said. “If we didn’t beat Iran, you wouldn’t have had peace in the Middle East. We wiped it out.”
Pressed on whether he would support further Israeli military action if Iran continues advancing its missile or nuclear programs, Trump responded affirmatively. “If they continue with the missiles — yes,” he said. “The nuclear — absolutely.”
The Trump-Netanyahu meeting came as Iran’s currency has hit record lows, and shopkeepers in Tehran have staged strikes over soaring inflation and a collapsing economy.
TRUMP WOULD STRIKE IRAN ‘WITHOUT QUESTION’ IF IT RESTARTS NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM
Iranian worshippers hold up their hands as signs of unity with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during an anti-Israeli rally to condemn Israel’s attacks on Iran, in downtown Tehran, Iran, on June 20, 2025. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Asked whether he would support the overthrow of Iran’s regime, Trump rejected the idea while pointing to unrest inside the country.
“I’m not going to talk about overthrow of a regime,” he said. “But they have tremendous inflation. Their economy is busted.” Trump added that protests are frequently met with lethal force by Iranian authorities.
The remarks followed a report Sunday by Iran International alleging that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is accelerating work on unconventional missile payloads, including chemical and biological options, citing unnamed military and security sources.
MOSSAD CHIEF THANKS US FOR HELP WITH IRAN, SAYS ‘MISSION IS NOT YET COMPLETE’
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows damage at the Fordo enrichment facility in Iran after U.S. strikes, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP) (Maxar Technologies via AP)
Iran denies pursuing chemical or biological weapons and maintains its missile program is defensive. Tehran ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997 and analysts say the reported developments fit a broader pattern.
“The fact that Tehran’s ballistic missiles can carry unconventional payloads is not new,” said Behnam Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
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Iranian pro-government supporters hold a giant Palestine flag at Palestine Square in Tehran, on April 14, 2024, in a celebration of the early morning Iran’s IRGC attack on Israel. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP)
Taleblu pointed to Iran’s recent military behavior.
“What should underscore the chemical threat was Tehran’s use of warheads with cluster munitions against Israel during the 12-day war,” he said. “These warheads can easily carry canisters for poison gas. In short, the conflict contained a dry run for a potential chemical attack.”
He added that Iran’s history heightens concern, citing Tehran’s past use of chemical agents during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s and its transfer of such weapons to Libya.
Efrat Lachter is an investigative reporter and war correspondent. Her work has taken her to 40 countries, including Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Sudan and Afghanistan. She is a recipient of the 2024 Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalism. Lachter can be followed on X @efratlachter.
WORLD NEWS
Bay Area homeowners are hiring a sword-wielding man to help them kick squatters out of empty properties: ‘The average squatter has no melee experience’
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A sword-wielding man is offering his services to homeowners in Northern California who want help evicting squatters from empty properties.
On the official ASAP Squatter Removal website, owner James Jacobs claims he has a 95%+ success rate and leverages his combat training and mixed martial arts experience to remove squatters from vacant properties, according to a report in The Oaklandside.
“We are the only squatter removal service that actively defends your property. While others rely solely on law enforcement relationships – often leading to delays and failed removals – we bring real-world combat training and experience to the table,” Jacobs’ site reads.
“Our team leader has over 20 years of mixed martial arts expertise, advance melee weapons training and four years of NRA AND USCCA certification, ensuring both strategic and physical preparedness for any situation.”
In an interview with The Oaklandside, Jacobs said his experience with martial arts was unfamiliar to most squatters when it came to evictions.
James Jacobs says he helps kick squatters out with his sword (ASAP Squatter Removal)
“The average squatter has no melee experience,” Jacobs told the online outlet, explaining that he views squatting as theft regardless of the housing crisis and homelessness in the East Bay area.
“I’d much rather make a squatter homeless than have a landlord lose property,” Jacobs added.
Jacobs’ website further added that squatter removal in the area can be unpredictable. It claimed some groups operate as organized crime, which he said he was prepared for with professional-grade tactical gear.
The gear includes firearms, ballistic full-body armor, flash bangs and smoke grenades, tear gas, gas masks, and custom ammunition and tactical gear.
“With ASAP Squatter Removal, you’re not just hiring a service – you’re securing your property, your investment, and your peace of mind with professionals who are ready for anything,” according to his website.
The Oaklandside confirmed a recent eviction completed by Jacobs in Oakland earlier this year, but he declined to provide the outlet proof of other evictions, claiming he’s signed non-disclosure agreements and that his attorney advised against providing further information concerning legal proceedings. Videos posted online by Jacobs in the past year show him working at several properties, including one titled “Another Squatter Removed” and “Tour of a Squatter Property.”
His services come as Californians face a pronounced housing crisis, which has seen rising rents and housing costs and a dearth of new construction price out many residents. Home values in the Golden State are among the steepest in the nation, and the state has among the highest rates of homelessness, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
Housing prices in San Francisco are so high that a new housing company has rolled out stacked “sleeping pods” for $700 per month in an attempt to solve the city’s affordability crisis, The Independent previously reported.
Under California law, squatters can acquire title to a building after five years, typically much faster than in other states.
In a statement to The Oaklandside, The Oakland Police Department said it handles calls about squatters by responding to all issues locals report.
“Our officers will respond to investigate the nature of the call,” they said in a statement.
“If our officers determine this is a landlord-tenant issue, the case will be referred to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation.”
NEED TO KNOW
- Rebecca Gayheart is sharing how Eric Dane’s ALS diagnosis has impacted her family’s dynamic
- In an essay for The Cut, the model and actress spoke about helping Dane navigate his ALS diagnosis
- Gayheart shared how it’s “nice” for her daughters to see a “softer side” to their parents’ relationship, but noted they don’t have “hope” for a reconciliation
Rebecca Gayheart is sharing how navigating Eric Dane’s ALS diagnosis has brought her family closer.
In an essay for The Cut published on Monday, Jan. 29, the model and actress spoke about helping the Euphoria star, 53, navigate his ALS diagnosis alongside her two daughters Georgia, 14, and Billie, 15. While Gayheart admitted that there’s no escaping the future ahead of them, she wrote that she tries to focus on the current moment.
“Spending all this time together, it’s all been really positive, and I think it’s nice for the kids to see maybe a softer side of us,” she wrote. “It’s not that they have the hopes of us being together — kids always dream of their parents getting back together, and I think now ours don’t because they understand the reality of the situation.”
Rebecca Gayheart and her daughters in 2019.
JB Lacroix/Getty
Gayheart went on to share what she hopes this moment will show her girls.
“Hopefully, what they see instead are two adults who are trying to be mature and focus on what’s important,” she said.
Dane met Gayheart in 2003, and the pair wed less than a year later in Las Vegas. They welcomed their first daughter, Billie Beatrice, in 2010, and their second daughter, Georgia Geraldine, in 2011. The Beverly Hills, 90210 actress filed for divorce in February 2018 and requested to dismiss the petition in March 2025.
While the pair have dated other people, she explained in her new essay that she lives 12 minutes from Dane’s home, where they have “a lot of meals together” and “a lot of drop-by visits” with their children.
“He made it very clear that he wants to spend time with his family as much as possible, and I am committed to facilitating that,” she wrote.
Gayheart noted that she she always wants “the best” for Dane. She added, “It’s a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people. Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love.”
Eric Dane (left) and Rebecca Gayheart in 2016.
JB Lacroix/WireImage
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Dane revealed his ALS diagnosis exclusively to PEOPLE in April. “I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time,” he said in a statement at the time.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at Step Up’s 2025 Inspiration Awards, Gayheart said she and their two daughters are “taking it day by day” when it comes to Dane’s diagnosis.
“We have some professional therapists who are helping us, and we’re just trying to have some hope and do it with dignity, grace and love,” she continued. “I mean, it’s heartbreaking. My girls are really suffering, and we’re just trying to get through it. It’s a tough time.”