Thousands of people took to the streets across Italy on Friday, for a national strike that was called by the country’s largest union to protest the government’s 2026 budget.

The strike comes as the budget is expected to be discussed next week and must be approved by the country’s parliament by the end of this year.

Italy’s CGIL union has estimated that some 61% of all public and private sector workers participated in the strike.

“The majority of the workers who keep this country going don’t agree with and don’t accept this government’s budget,” CGIL chief Maurizio Landini told a rally in Florence. 

“Today shows more clearly than ever that we need a change,” he added.

Unions demand greater investments in healthcare, education and housing rightsImage: Marco Di Gianvito/ZUMA/picture alliance

Demonstrations the latest in a slew of protests to have hit Italy

The demonstrations were the latest in a slew of protests that have hit Italy in recent months. Italians have taken to the streets to reject the government’s economic policies and its support for Israel.

The budget is being put forth by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her right-wing Brothers of Italy party.

Although Meloni’s party, which governs under a stable coalition, still tops opinion polls, some recent surveys have shown a decline in the government’s popularity.

What’s the problem with the budget?

CGIL, which represents 5 million workers, half of whom are pensioners, argues that the new budget would “worsen people’s living and working conditions.”

Along with other unions, CGIL has rejected planned increases in defense spending. The unions are calling on the government to invest more in healthcare and education, as well as take measures to bolster salaries and pensions.

Meloni’s government has responded to the discontent by saying the budget has been well-received by financial markets and ratings agencies, arguing that it strengthens Italy’s public finances, while lowering taxes for middle earners.

Meloni and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini responded to the strike plans when they were agreed to last month, making fun of the union for organizing the strike as usual on a Friday, implying that it was an excuse for a long weekend.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar

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President Donald Trump scolded a female journalist taking part in a press scrum at the White House on Friday for being “very aggressive,” the latest in a string of negative comments the president has made about female reporters in recent weeks.

“You have to be nice and easy, nice and easy,” Trump told the reporter, who appeared to be NBC News’ Yamiche Alcindor. “She’s very aggressive.”

The president later called on the reporter, who asked Trump about his reaction to the latest batch of Epstein photos released Friday, which included images of Trump with a large group of women with their faces blurred out.

The Independent has contacted Alcindor for comment.

Trump has gone head-to-head with Alcindor before.

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President Trump called a female reporter ‘very aggressive’ for asking questions in the Oval Office, the latest in a string of recent dismissive remarks toward female reporters the president has made (AP)

In September, he accused the White House correspondent of being “fake news” and “second-rate” when she pressed him about an AI image he shared suggesting the administration was about to declare “war” on Chicago as part of its immigration crackdown.

In 2020, during a Covid briefing, Trump told Alcindor to “be nice” and to not “be threatening” during one exchange, inspiring an outpouring of support for the reporter and the hashtag #WeLoveYamiche.

President Trump has used harsh language to brush off multiple female reporters in recent weeks, labeling them “stupid,” “incapable,” “ugly,” and in one case last month, telling Bloomberg White House correspondent Catherine Lucey to be “quiet piggy.”

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Yamiche Alcindor is a White House correspondent for NBC News (AFP via Getty Images)

When reached for comment, the White House shared a statement it offered after past criticism of the remarks.

“President Trump has never been politically correct, never holds back, and in large part, the American people re-elected him for his transparency,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. “This has nothing to do with gender – it has everything to do with the fact that the President’s and the public’s trust in the media is at all time lows.”

White House officials have pointed to other comments where Trump tangled with male reporters in a similar fashion, including an October comment that a male Reuters reporter was “third-rate” and earlier remarks blasting a Wall Street Journal reporter for being associated with a “rotten” outlet.

Critics argue the president reserves particular venom for female reporters, and female reporters of color even more so.

During his first term, Trump lashed out at a string of African-American female journalists in quick succession, describing questions from CNN’s Abby Phillip as “stupid” and those from Alcindor as “racist.”

Later, during his 2024 campaign, he had a memorable clash with reporters during an event at a National Association of Black Journalists conference.

Trump grew angry when asked how Black voters could trust him after making the inflammatory remark that Vice President Kamala Harris had only recently “happened to turn Black.”

“I don’t think I’ve been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump told ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott. “You don’t even say hello, how are you.”

The president frequently demonizes the press at large, and has called journalists purveyors of “fake news” and the “enemy of the people.”

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If you’re still scouring the internet for the perfect holiday present, it’s time to turn your attention to TikTok-viral gifts. The app has time and again brought the best toys to center-stage, and it’s already crowned this year’s hottest find.

The Dusfan AI-Powered Flying Orb Ball is the latest toy to go viral on TikTok — this video alone has 15 million views and more than 87,000 likes. Now that the toy is on sale at Amazon for 66 percent off, it makes for a no-brainer Christmas gift. Equipped with a smart AI chip and gyroscope, the orb hovers, flies, and returns to the user like a boomerang, providing countless hours of entertainment.

Dusfan AI-Powered Flying Orb Ball Toy

Amazon

It’s designed with red, blue, and green LED lights that make it easy to spot in the dark, but are also vibrant in the day. The flying orb ball features a hidden micro-USB plug for quick recharging and, because it’s made from a fall-resistant case, it’s durable enough to withstand plenty of drops and fumbles. Perfect for playing catch and practicing your magic skills on the go, this toy is sure to be a hit this Christmas.

More than 9,000 Amazon shoppers have already purchased the orb in the past few weeks, and it’s easy to see why. One five-star reviewer said it provides “hours of laughter” and “lighthearted fun” as it “floats, spins, and bounces back like magic.” Another person called the toy “the hit of the night,” adding that “it’s surprisingly easy to control once you get the hang of it, and it’s durable — it’s been dropped multiple times and still works perfectly.”

A final shopper enthused, “Once you start playing, it’s hard to stop,” noting that it’s an excellent activity, even for little kids. “It’s fun solo or with friends — definitely a crowd pleaser,” they remarked.

Give the best gift of the season and pick up the Dusfan AI-Powered Flying Orb Ball while it’s still just $27 on Amazon. 

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By SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 15:14 EST, 12 December 2025 | Updated: 20:24 EST, 12 December 2025

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has urged stores to do more to help officers bring shoplifters to justice. 

Sir Mark Rowley claimed there was evidence of security staff working with gangs to help them steal from shops, as some refused to hand over CCTV or snaps of thugs caught red-handed.

He alleged other stores would not allow employees time off to attend court or to provide statements to the police. 

In the year to June, retail crime increased by 13 per cent, reaching 529,994 recorded offences, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Meanwhile, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) estimated there were 20 million cases of shoplifting, implying less than three per cent of thefts were reported. 

It comes as Labour were accused of turning Britain into a ‘soft touch for criminals’ as shoplifters continued to run rampant across the country. 

And while Sir Mark maintained retailers were right in their criticism of the police, he also insisted they also ‘need to step up more’. 

‘The retail sector, a couple of years ago, was right to be cross with policing across the country,’ he told The Telegraph.

Sir Mark Rowley (pictured) claimed there was evidence of security staff working with gangs to help them steal from shops

‘But in London, over the last year or so, we’ve really doubled down on it. We’re making a lot of progress, but I need to challenge back now to the retail sector. 

‘They now need to do better.’

Shoplifting dropped by four per cent between April and December, the Police Commissioner claimed, with the help of facial recognition technology.  

Sir Mark, a long supporter of the technology, said that in 40 per cent of incidents, the force was able to identify a criminal against databases of previous offenders.

Fines, charges and sanctions for shoplifting also rose by 82 per cent. However, the Met had the lowest rate of crimes being solved in England and Wales.

In the year to June, just nine per cent of shoplifting cases ended in a charge by the police authority. 

In one case, private security staff had been communicating with criminals and telling them when it was ‘clear’ to come in, Sir Mark revealed.

He also noted that while some stores cited costs as why they couldn’t provide statements or images, other shops were ‘very supportive’ of employees.  

Cambridgeshire Police released CCTV footage of thieves targeting the John Lewis department store in Cambridge earlier this month, amid growing concern over retail crime

The Police Commissioner explained that some shops will give staff the time and pay to attend court and provide statements, while others do not.  

‘So if they’re not prepared to roll up their sleeves as corporate victims, it’s going to be tough for us to make progress,’ he added.

Sir Mark also voiced his support for expanding facial technology, which means police would have access to the passport database.

Such access would mean they would be able to use 45 million photos to identify those suspected of committing serious crimes.  

He has also supported radical proposals to reduce the number of policing authorities from 43 to 20 – or even less – as well as reforming the ‘broken’ court system. 

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Businesses must do more to stop shoplifting, Met Police chief says

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Jerry Kerrisk, 66, from Edinburgh, collapsed while visiting his twin sons, leading to discovery of aggressive glioblastoma brain cancer with 12-18 month prognosis

Jerry in hospital

An Edinburgh father was told he ‘wouldn’t have seen Christmas’ if a seizure hadn’t led to a heartbreaking diagnosis, according to doctors. Jerry Kerrisk, 66, collapsed in June last year while visiting his twin sons, Brendan and Conor.

He was immediately taken to hospital where medics discovered a glioblastoma – an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer. The family were informed that Jerry’s prognosis was between 12 to 18 months.

Now, the Kerrisk family are championing the Brain Tumour Research Christmas appeal, urging the public to contribute towards groundbreaking research and ‘change the story’ for patients.

Jerry Kerrisk with his wife, Janice, and sons, Brendan and Conor(Image: Supplied)

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Jerry’s wife, Janice, shared: “Jerry has always been a kind, practical man who appreciates all things in life. He loves being outdoors, walking our dog Rua, playing golf, and spending time with family and friends.

“He is an electrician by trade; hardworking, dependable, and good-humoured. His colleagues often describe him as ‘one of life’s true gentlemen’ and that could not be truer.”, reports Edinburgh Live.

On the morning of his collapse, Janice recalls Jerry being ‘quiet and distracted’. She added: “As we were heading out shopping, he suddenly said, ‘We need to write our wills and decide where we’ll put our ashes.'”.

“It was such an odd comment that it stopped me in my tracks, but I thought he was worrying about his prostate cancer, which is under control. Less than an hour later, we were visiting our sons when he suddenly roared, lifted his arm towards the sky, and collapsed face down on the grass in a violent seizure.

“By the time the paramedics arrived, Jerry had suffered two further seizures. He was unconscious, bleeding from his mouth and nose. It was absolutely horrific to watch.”

Jerry was rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where he endured a third seizure. An MRI scan uncovered the brain tumour, with medics subsequently informing the family he had a four centimetre glioblastoma.

Janice, 62, added: “The diagnosis was devastating. I had prepared myself for bad news, but Jerry hadn’t. He thought the surgery would remove it and he would recover. When the consultant said the words ‘grade 4 glioblastoma’, he was in shock. He turned to the doctor and said quietly, ‘I feel like I’m a dead man walking.'”.

“I will never forget those words. I sat taking notes while he stared at the floor in silence. We left the hospital numb.”

Jerry with his sons Brendan and Conor

Jerry underwent surgery to remove as much of the tumour as surgeons could manage. He was sent home within days, and started six weeks of radiotherapy and oral chemotherapy.

Despite persistent tiredness, Jerry still plays golf and goes out fishing. Janice said: “What I want most is a breakthrough, for Jerry and for others like him. The prognosis for glioblastoma is so cruelly short.

“I dream of the day when people no longer hear that this diagnosis is terminal. Jerry does not talk much about the future, but every so often he will say something that stops me in my tracks.

“The other night, after being out with friends for a birthday lunch, he said, ‘I don’t know if I’ll be here next year’. I told him we have to stay positive, because we do. That is how we get through. Our lives have changed completely, but our love, our humour, and our faith in one another remain.

“Jerry is still Jerry – gentle, strong, and quietly brave. I hope we can help make a difference so that, one day, families like ours will have real hope for the future.”

Ashley McWilliams, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, commented: “Janice and her family have shown incredible strength and positivity since Jerry’s diagnosis.

“Their determination to raise awareness and fund research is truly inspiring. We are so grateful to Team Jerry for supporting our 99 Miles in November challenge and Christmas Appeal, and for helping to fund vital research such as the work taking place at our new Scottish Centre of Excellence.

“Every step they take brings us closer to finding a cure for this devastating disease.”

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The UK has sanctioned senior commanders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over suspected heinous violence including mass killings, systematic sexual violence and deliberate attacks on civilians.

The commanders were designated on Friday after documented atrocities committed by RSF troops in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

Deputy commander Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, the brother of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, is among four commanders of the paramilitary group that will face asset freezes and travel bans. Hemedti himself is not on the list of sanctions.

Image:
Abdulrahim Hamdan Dagalo raises his fist in Kenya, Nairobi, at a February meeting of Sudanese groups. Pic: AP

El Fasher was captured by the RSF on 26 October after an 18-month siege against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The RSF co-ordinated a campaign of enforced starvation, shelling and drone strikes with widespread civilian casualties.

In September, Sky News travelled to North Darfur and reported on volunteers being killed and arrested by the RSF for attempting to smuggle food and medicine into the city at the height of the siege. Food smuggling co-ordinators told us they had no choice but to try to save the city from “a slow genocide”.

Other volunteers pleaded with us to urge the world to save Darfur and condemned the “inhumanity” of the global apathy. Many of the people we met in North Darfur lost loved ones to the RSF’s violent takeover of the city.

After the capture of El Fasher, sometimes spelled Al Fashir, RSF fighters filmed themselves killing civilians in the fields around the city as they attempted to flee.

Image:
Sudanese soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces. File pic: AP

A Sky News investigation with Lighthouse Reports and Sudan War Monitor revealed that hundreds of civilians were rounded up in school yards in a town bordering the road out of the city.

A survivor told us they were forced to bury with their own hands fellow captives who were killed by the RSF on the basis of ethnicity. Satellite images analysed by Sky News found that an existing cemetery in Gurnei was extended in the days that followed 26 October, corresponding with testimony of new burials.

Yale Humanitarian Labs analysed high-resolution satellite imagery from the streets of El Fasher in the days after the RSF capture. Their analysis showed objects in the streets that correspond with corpses and large red-coloured stains likely to be blood. A civilian who escaped the slaughter told us they were stepping over bodies on their way out of the city.

An RSF insider said that at least 7,000 people were killed by their troops in the first five days of capture and that sanctioned RSF deputy commander Abdul Rahim Dagalo commanded the entire operation. Celebratory footage shared by the RSF shows him in the city only hours after it fell.

Image:
A photo released by UNICEF shows displaced children and families from El Fasher. (Mohammed Jammal/UNICEF via AP)

In a document naming the sanctioned individuals, the UK government said Dagalo was responsible for engaging in, supporting, or promoting “serious violations of international humanitarian law in Sudan”.

Read more:
Genocide is unfolding in Darfur, warns Sudanese government
63 children killed in attacks on Sudan kindergarten and hospital

These “grave breaches” comprise “the mass killings of civilians; ethnically targeted executions; sexual violence, including gang rape; abductions for ransom; widespread arbitrary detentions; and attacks on health facilities, medical staff and humanitarian workers”.

Also sanctioned was major general Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed, the head of the RSF’s Operations Department, as well as brigadier general Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris and field commander Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed.

Image:
A child who fled El Fasher receives treatment at a camp in Tawila. Pic: AP

The RSF has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for control of Sudan since April 2023. The paramilitary group held the capital Khartoum for two years before it was recaptured by the army in March.

Fighting pivoted to Darfur as the RSF tightened its siege on El Fasher and massacred the nearby Zamzam displacement camp before closing in on the city.

The epicentre of the war has now shifted to three fronts in the southwest Kordofan, threatening to tear Sudan into two.

The RSF has made recent gains; seizing the key city of Babanusa in West Kordofan – a railway city that connects the west, east, south and north of the country – and the oil-rich town of Heglieg on the border with Sudan’s South Kordofan State and South Sudan.

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Dili, East Timor – On the 50th anniversary of Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor, longtime independence advocate and now the country’s President Jose Ramos-Horta reflected on the last half-century of politics and diplomacy in his country.

Ramos-Horta was serving as the foreign minister of the newly declared Democratic Republic of East Timor in the days leading up to Indonesia’s invasion in December 1975.

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Formed by the independence party Fretilin after colonial Portugal’s withdrawal from the country, the new government in East Timor’s capital Dili was under pressure from Indonesia and its threat of invasion.

As the danger intensified, Ramos-Horta flew to the United Nations in New York to plead for international recognition and protection for East Timor’s fragile independence. Despite unanimous support at the UN for Timorese self-determination, Indonesian troops launched their invasion on December 7, 1975.

Ramos-Horta’s colleagues, including Prime Minister Nicolau Lobato and other Fretilin leaders, either went into hiding or were killed in the ensuing attack. Unable to return home, Ramos-Horta became East Timor’s voice in exile for the next 24 years.

During his exile, Ramos-Horta lobbied governments, human rights organisations, and the UN to condemn Indonesia’s occupation, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 200,000 Timorese through conflict, famine, and repression.

Silenced by a military-imposed media blackout for much of the 1980s, it was only in the 1990s that reports of Indonesian atrocities – including the 1991 Santa Cruz massacre – began to filter out and East Timor’s struggle for independence gained international attention.

Ramos-Horta’s tireless advocacy earned him a Nobel Peace Prize, along with Bishop Carlos Belo, in 1996.

A UN-sponsored referendum delivered an overwhelming vote for independence in 1999, leading to a fully independent East Timor in 2002. However, the country continues to face economic challenges and remains one of Southeast Asia’s poorest nations.

In the years overseeing his country’s transition from conflict to reconciliation, Ramos-Horta has held the roles of foreign minister, prime minister and now president.

Al Jazeera’s Ali MC sat down with Ramos-Horta on a recent trip to East Timor, where the president spoke about his country’s long road to peace and hopes for it to prosper from membership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), increased trade with China, and development of the offshore Greater Sunrise gas field.

Al Jazeera: Reflecting on your role as an ambassador for East Timor after Indonesia’s 1975 invasion, what were some of the key challenges that you faced while advocating for your country on the international stage?

Ramos-Horta: First, we were in the midst of the Cold War with that catastrophic US engagement in the wars against North Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Then, you can say – the US defeat, if not military defeat, it was a total political defeat at the hands of the Vietnamese. So, it was in the midst of all of this that Indonesia invaded Timor-Leste [the official Portuguese-language name for East Timor], on December 7, 1975. The day before, US President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Kissinger were in Jakarta, and they officially gave the green light to President Soeharto to invade – immorally – with the use of American weapons.

So, it was within this context that it was very challenging for us to mobilise sympathy, support and the media. The invasion merited only one small, short column in The New York Times.

In Australia, there was more coverage. But the coverage didn’t last long, because Indonesia did a very good job, with Australian complicity, in blocking any news out of East Timor. At that time, not a single journalist came – the first foreign journalist to come here was in 1987.

The absence of [proof of] death is the worst enemy of any struggle. There were terrible massacres on the day of the invasion, hundreds of people shot and dumped into the sea, including an Australian, Roger East [a journalist killed by Indonesian forces on the day of the invasion].

Many, many countless people shot on the spot. Many were alive and dragged to the port of Dili, shot and fell into the sea. Many more killed randomly around town. And zero media coverage, not a single camera.

East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta addresses the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City, US, in 2023 [File: Brendan McDermid/Reuters]

AJ: How did that lack of media coverage make it difficult for you, as an ambassador overseas, to describe to the international community exactly what was happening in East Timor?

Ramos-Horta: Terribly difficult.

To mobilise people who are potentially sympathetic, you can do so effectively if you have a backup for what you say, what you allege, what you report. This must be backed up with visuals.

But people were sympathetic and listened to me. I was persuasive enough for them to believe what might be going on.

AJ: Given your own personal experience in the struggle for independence in East Timor, does that influence the way that you advocate? Does that bring a more personal response to your diplomacy?

Ramos-Horta: My personal instinct as a person is not shaped by anyone, by any school, any religion. It is me, always, against injustice and abuse.

Then came our experience and the fight for independence. When we fought for independence and for freedom, I went around the world begging for support, begging for sympathy. Then, we became independent.

Well, how can I not show sympathy in a real way towards the Palestinians? Why would I not show sympathy in a real way towards the people of Myanmar? Just showing sympathy, because we cannot do much more.

What can we do? We are not even a mid-sized country. But speaking out – a voice – is very important.

AJ: What are your reflections on what has occurred in Gaza?

Ramos-Horta: It is one of the most abominable humanitarian catastrophes in modern times, in the 21st century, next to the killing fields in Cambodia during Pol Pot’s regime.

The amount of bombs dropped on Gaza is more than the combined amount of the bombs dropped on London and Dresden during World War II, and more than the bombs dropped on Cambodia by the Americans during the Vietnam War.

The suffering inflicted on civilians, women and children is just unbelievable.

How we, human beings in this 21st century, can descend so low and how Israel, a country that I always admired, first out of sympathy for what Jewish people went through, through their lives, through their history – always persecuted, always having to flee, and then culminating in the horrendous Holocaust. When you survive a Holocaust experience, like the Jews, I would think that you are a person that is the most sympathetic to anyone yearning for freedom, for peace, for dignity. Because you understand.

They [Israelis] are doing the opposite.

And you have to understand, also, the people who are on the other side. You know the Palestinians, who had 70 years of occupation and brutality, they are not going to show any sympathy to the Jews or Israelis. So, this whole situation has generated hatred and polarisation as never before.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, meets East Timor’s President Jose Ramos Horta in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah in 2011 [File: Mohamad Torokman/Reuters]

AJ: What can the international community learn from the experience of East Timor and people such as yourself?

Ramos-Horta: I am thoroughly disillusioned with the so-called international community, particularly the West, that enjoy entertaining themselves lecturing Third World countries on democracy, human rights, transparency, anticorruption, etc, etc.

They could never find the case to help poorer countries getting out of extreme poverty. But they found billions of dollars for the last three years to pump into the war in Ukraine.

I don’t condemn that. It is white people supporting white people being attacked. But then they are silent on Israel as it bulldozes the whole of Palestine; carpet bombing, killing tens of thousands of civilians.

And yet, with incredible, nauseating hypocrisy, when they are asked to comment on this, they say Israel has the right to defend itself!

Defend itself against children, against women, against students, against academics, against universities, that they bulldoze completely. Defend themselves against doctors and nurses in hospitals that they bulldoze.

And in an incredible contortion, you have the secretary-general of NATO say Iran presents a threat to the whole world. I know the whole world, literally, and I don’t know of anyone in the whole world that I know that considers Iran a threat to them.

I feel nauseated with such dishonesty, such inhumanity. So, I’m thoroughly disappointed. And I was always an admirer of the West.

AJ: Reflecting on many decades in politics in East Timor, is there anything that stands out to you as a personal success or something that you feel most proud about?

Ramos-Horta: I feel proud that we have been able to keep the country at peace. We have zero political violence. We have zero ethnic-based or religious-based tensions or violence. We don’t have even organised crime. We have never had a bank robbery or armed robbery in someone’s home. We don’t have that. And we are ranked among having the freest media in the world and the freest democracy in the world. I’m proud of my contribution in that.

A Pride Parade from East Timor’s capital, Dili, to the famed Cristo Rei statue of Christ, which was built by the Indonesians during the occupation. While East Timor has a large Catholic population, LGBT rights have become more accepted, with even President Ramos-Horta expressing support [Ali MC/Al Jazeera]

AJ: East Timor is set to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). What will be the benefits of being a part of that?

Ramos-Horta: We’ll be part of a community of 700 million people, a community whose combined GDP is at least $4 trillion.

And that means the possibility of Timor-Leste benefitting from our neighbours is greater. There will be more free movement of capital. There’ll be more people attracted to visit Timor-Leste and more embassies opening.

These are the benefits of being associated with an organisation like ASEAN. There are concrete, material benefits besides the importance of the strategic alliance, the strategic partnership, with our neighbours.

AJ: China is really emerging in the Southeast Asia and Pacific regions. Are there any tensions over East Timor’s relationship with China?

Ramos-Horta: We don’t view China as an enemy of anyone, unlike some in America.

The US is not able to digest the fact that China today is a global superpower, that China today is a major global financial and economic power. That it is no longer the US that rules this unipolar world, that it has a competitor.

But the Chinese are very modest, and they say they are not competing to be number one with the US.

Any rational, intelligent person who is informed about China – even if a leader emerged in China that would view Australia and the US with hostility – would, in his right mind, think that you can overpower the US economically and militarily.

AJ: What is the projected benefit economically for East Timor from the Greater Sunrise Gas Field?

Ramos-Horta: The existing studies point to it taking seven years for the whole project to be completed and deliver gas and revenue to Timor-Leste.

But long before that, the day we sign the agreement, within the following few months, two years, a lot of investments already start to happen. Because we have to build all the infrastructure on the south coast that will run into the tens of millions of dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars.

The pipeline will take its time to reach Timor, but the pipeline will be served by all the infrastructure built on the south coast, plus housing. Hundreds, maybe thousands of houses for workers, for people and so on. Then improvement in the agriculture sector. Farmers in the community benefitting because they will sell produce to the company, to the workers and so on.

Despite more than two decades of independence, East Timor remains one of the poorest countries in the region [Ali MC/Al Jazeera]



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Discounts for larger systems will be wound back under a popular home battery scheme as the program’s budget is tripled.

The federal subsidy, which has been in place for five months, will get a generous top-up to $7.2bn across four years after initially being earmarked to cost $2.3bn.

The fund was thought to be running out rapidly, in part because households were installing systems up to the maximum subsidised size to take full advantage of the one-time offer.

Under the scheme, eligible households and small businesses have been able to secure a 30% discount on a home battery when installed alongside new or existing rooftop solar.

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Subsidies were available on batteries with capacities of between 5kWh and 100kWh, with the rebate applied to the first 50kWh.

Changes unveiled by the energy minister, Chris Bowen, on Saturday confirmed the first 50kWh of a system would still be eligible for support, but discounting would not be as generous per kWh for medium- and larger-sized batteries.

Staggering support in line with battery size would encourage more households to get the “right-sized” battery, the government said, and keep the scheme open to more households.

“We want more Aussie households to have access to batteries that are good for bills and good for the grid – because it means more cheap, fast, safe solar energy is available in our homes night or day, when and where it’s needed,” Bowen said.

From 1 May, systems up to 14kWh – deemed suitable for small households – would get the full 30% discount for each kWh.

Discounting would then taper off for medium-sized kits and again for large systems above 28 kWh.

Nepean Solar chief executive, Jim Hill, said the changes were a “huge relief”.

“A boom-and-bust cycle has been a hugely impactful feature of this industry, so this sensible change that ensures the long-term viability of our sector is a huge relief and we welcome it,” the head of the Sydney-based solar and battery installer said.

“As a small business, we need to be able to plan for the ordering of stock, training and upskilling staff, and indeed the taking on of new apprentices. This approach allows us to do this with confidence.”

The Smart Energy Council chief executive, John Grimes, welcomed the funding boost and backed the rebate changes to allow more households and businesses to get access.

“We are a responsible industry that believes in spreading the benefits of solar and batteries to as many people as possible,” he said.

“If that means changes to the rebate, we support that.”

Households that add a home battery can expect $600-$900 per year in savings on energy costs on top of the bill benefits from solar, based on Australian Energy Market Commission figures.

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Norberto ParedesBBC News Mundo

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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro could be forgiven for wondering who his true friends are.

Once rock solid, his reliance on his two main allies – China and Russia – now appears increasingly uncertain.

For years, both countries supported Venezuela’s socialist-led government politically, financially and militarily – a relationship that began under former President Hugo Chávez, Maduro’s mentor and predecessor.

But experts say that backing now seems to be largely symbolic, with statements being given in support rather than concrete military or financial aid.

This shift comes as the US has deployed air and naval forces – including a nuclear-powered submarine, spy planes and 15,000 troops – to the Caribbean.

The US has conducted strikes on boats in the region that it alleges are smuggling drugs, killing more than 80 people, and in recent days, it seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.

The Trump administration has said the military build-up and strikes are targeting drug trafficking, and the tanker had been sanctioned. But many experts – and Maduro himself – believe Washington’s real goal is regime change.

So at the Venezuelan president’s hour of greatest need, what has changed?

Prof Fernando Reyes Matta, director of the Centre for China Studies at Andrés Bello University in Chile, argues that Venezuela has become a far lower priority for both Beijing and Moscow, especially since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

“There is no reason today for either Russia or China to go all-in defending Venezuela given their other problems, such as Russia and its war in Ukraine, and China trying to coexist internationally with President Trump,” he says.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has poured enormous resources into the conflict, straining both its finances and its military. It has also faced sweeping Western sanctions.

This leaves fewer resources for allies that previously benefited from Kremlin support, says Prof Vladimir Rouvinski, the director of the Laboratory of Politics and International Relations (PoInt) at Icesi University in Colombia.

Syria and Iran, Moscow’s long-standing allies in the Middle East, have faced a similar fate in recent times.

“Russia will [not] risk receiving more sanctions than it already has, [and] China will not risk getting more tariffs imposed on it for defending Maduro,” Prof Rouvinski explains.

Maduro reportedly asked China and Russia for military assistance at the end of October, according to The Washington Post.

The Kremlin’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said “we support Venezuela, as it supports us”, while urging the Trump administration to avoid escalating the crisis, Russian media reported.

And in the wake of the American seizure of the oil tanker, the Kremlin said Putin had called Maduro to affirm his support.

But so far, Moscow has not provided any material assistance.

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Putin and Maduro met in Moscow in May 2025. Russia has provided Venezuela with military support for years

Like Moscow, Beijing has shown no sign it would militarily defend Venezuela, instead condemning what it calls “external interference” and urging restraint.

Experts say China defending Maduro could jeopardise recent diplomatic gains between Beijing and Washington, while offering little beyond ideological alignment.

US–China relations have been particularly tense since Trump imposed tariffs on multiple countries. But a meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping in South Korea in late October – described as positive by both sides – opened the door to new agreements and lower tariffs on certain products.

According to experts, Venezuela’s economic collapse and the deterioration of its oil industry have further discouraged Chinese support. Beijing has reduced new lending in recent years and is now focused mainly on recovering past loans.

“I think China is willing to negotiate with any government that eventually replaces Maduro, and believes that supporting Maduro too strongly now could bring negative consequences when the regime falls,” says Prof Rouvinski.

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Venezuela has purchased hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Chinese military equipment since 2005

Prof Reyes Matta does not think “either of the two countries is willing to support a regime that has so little internal backing”.

“Moreover, both Russia and China know that the last presidential election had very evident fraudulent characteristics.”

The July 2024 election was marred by serious allegations of fraud. The National Electoral Council (CNE), dominated by government allies, proclaimed Maduro the winner but provided no detailed results, unlike in previous elections.

The opposition – led by this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado – released electoral records suggesting the opposition candidate Edmundo González won.

“This time, Maduro is completely alone,” says Prof Rouvinski, who believes Maduro’s time is “running out”.

“Russia and China may continue criticising US intervention, but they are not willing to go any further. The support he had in the past is no longer there in real terms, beyond certain rhetorical statements.”

Additional reporting by BBC Global Journalism

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Trump, Clinton, Gates, Steve Bannon and Woody Allen in latest Epstein estate photo drop

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Donald Trump said that newly released photos showing him and Jeffrey Epstein mingling with several women were “no big deal,” but later claimed he had not seen them.

“Everybody knew this man [Epstein] – he was all over Palm Beach,” he told reporters Friday evening. “He has photos with everybody… there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have them.

“That’s no big deal… I know nothing about them.”

Trump has not been criminally charged with any wrongdoing and has consistently denied any involvement with Epstein.

It comes after House Democrats shared two tranches of photos released by Epstein’s estate, which include numerous famous faces such as the president, former president Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and former Prince Andrew.

The faces of some of the women who feature in the photos have been redacted by the Democrats, who have vowed to continue releasing photos.

“Once again, House Democrats are selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative,” Abigail Jackson, White House Deputy Press Secretary told The Independent.

The release of the photos comes ahead of a December 19 deadline for the Department of Justice to release the full files.

Mike Bedigan13 December 2025 00:00

ICYMI: New photos show Trump with women at Epstein estate; Clinton and Steve Bannon also appear in docs

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a new batch of photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, including images of Donald Trump and several other powerful figures in the late sex offender’s circle.

Trump has distanced himself from Epstein and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Kelly Rissman has the full story, in case you missed it:

Mike Bedigan12 December 2025 23:40

Donald Trump says his photos with Jeffrey Epstein is ‘no big deal’

At a bill signing event at the White House Friday evening, Donald Trump was asked about the newly released pictures of himself and Jeffrey Epstein but said they were “no big deal.”

“Well, I haven’t seen [the pictures] but I mean, everybody knew this man [Epstein] – he was all over Palm Beach.

“He has photos with everybody… there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have them. That’s no big deal, I know nothing about them.”

Trump has not been charged with criminal activity and has consistently denied involvement with Epstein.

Mike Bedigan12 December 2025 23:10

Watch: Trump, Clinton and Woody Allen in latest Epstein estate photo drop

Trump, Clinton and Woody Allen in latest Epstein estate photo drop

Mike Bedigan12 December 2025 23:05

Trump signs ice-hockey bill in cowboy hat as White House deflects Epstein questions

(AFP via Getty Images)(REUTERS)(AP)

Mike Bedigan12 December 2025 22:50

Analysis: Democrats had Republicans on the run with health care – then they dropped new Epstein pictures instead

Mike Bedigan12 December 2025 22:40

Democrat lawmaker says pictures contain ‘a lot of people’ engaged in sexual acts

Virginia rep. Suhas Subramanyam has said that some of the pictures in the possession of House Democrats, turned over by Jeffrey Epstein’s estate contain images “a lot of people” engaged in sexual acts.

“As part of this release, yes, there are pictures of people engaged in sexual acts,” the congressman told CNN.

Asked if there were pictures of other men that were not Epstein engaged in such acts, Subramanyam added: “We’re going through that again.

“The last time there was a big production, what we tried to do was release all the files eventually. We’re trying to be selective about what we release now, and so in this case, we’re not really quite sure yet who is who certainly, there’s a lot of people involved in some of these acts.”

Mike Bedigan12 December 2025 22:20

Epstein in the bath and a ‘Trumpkin’ pictured in new tranche of released photos

(Oversight Dems)(House Oversight Committee)(House Oversight Committee)(House Oversight Committee)

Mike Bedigan12 December 2025 21:55

Democrats release 70+ more photos

House Democrats have released a second tranche of photos from the Jeffrey Epstein files.

“In the interest of transparency, we will continue to release photos from the Epstein estate,” Oversight Dems wrote on X.

“We have released an additional 70+ photos sent to our Committee. More to come.”

Mike Bedigan12 December 2025 21:35

White House attacks Democrats in its response to newly released photos

In its response to the new batch of released images, the White House attacked Democrats Stacey Plaskett and Hakeem Jeffries for their ties to Epstein.

Accusations have swirled that Plaskett, the U.S. Virgin Islands non-voting delegate, appeared to be texting with Epstein during a 2019 hearing before questioning Trump. Her office later confirmed that the text exchange had occurred.

Meanwhile, James Comer, the top Republican on the Oversight Committee previously posted a 2013 email sent by a fundraising firm that was soliciting campaign money from the Epstein for Jeffries’ campaign.

Jeffries has said he’s never met Epstein, never received a donation from him and had no recollection of the email.

Last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi launched a probe into Democrats’ ties to Epstein at Trump’s direction.

Mike Bedigan12 December 2025 21:20

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