jell.ie News

Read at: 2025-11-27T22:56:32+00:00Z (UTC) [sometime-US Pres == Hulya Uysal ]

Australia news live: NSW shark attack victims identified as Swiss tourists; NSW axes heritage protection for brumbies

Follow today’s news live

Hanson-Young says environmental action and business interests linked

Hanson-Young was asked if she could guarantee the targets wouldn’t damage the economy or business. She said the Greens were looking at the connection between the two, pointing to the devastating algal bloom in South Australia that had smashed local industry, fishing and tourism.

You cannot continue to pretend that somehow the economy is off over there while the environment has nothing to do with it and that the climate has nothing to do with it. If we want a strong economy, we have to transition. We’ve got to do it faster.

And the community wants it. No one told South Australians that when the climate crisis hit, they wouldn’t be able to go to the beach in the 40C heat over summer. That is what we are facing this summer. And South Australians want action. Australians want action. The world needs action.

It is a good day for the environment and it’s a good day for our forests and our Australian bushland. A good day for our wildlife.

It’s been a long time coming, having to fix some of these major flaws in Australia’s environment laws that have allowed land clearing to go unchecked, to allow the destruction of our forests, even when there’s endangered species living there, that it’s their home. And there’s a lot more to do.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:50 pm UTC

The Uniquely American Heartbreak of Yet Another Shooting

The National Guard members shot in Washington are the latest victims of a political violence permeating our society.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:35 pm UTC

Louvre Raising Ticket Prices for Non-European Visitors

From Jan. 14, visitors to the museum from outside the European Economic Area will pay 45 percent more for entry to help finance its ambitious renovation plan.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:31 pm UTC

Putin doubles down on demands for Ukrainian territory ahead of talks with US in Moscow

The Russian president accuses Kyiv of wanting to fight "to the last Ukrainian" - which he says Russia is also "in principle" ready to do.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:18 pm UTC

Labour drops plan to give workers protection from unfair dismissal from first day in a job

Employees will instead get the right after six months - the promise was a key pledge in the party's manifesto ahead of last year's general election.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:09 pm UTC

Carney Lifts Climate Laws for New Alberta Pipeline

Prime Minister Mark Carney reached a tentative deal with the province as part of his program to curb the country’s economic dependence on the United States.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:06 pm UTC

D.C. Shooting Suspect Worked With C.I.A.-Backed Unit in Afghanistan

The C.I.A. and an Afghan intelligence official said that the shooter had been part of an Afghan “partner force,” known as a Zero Unit, trained and supported by the agency in the southern province of Kandahar.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:02 pm UTC

Ban harmful social media content instead of us, say Australian teens challenging ban

From 10 December, social media firms must ensure Australians aged under 16 cannot have accounts.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:53 pm UTC

What to Know About the Coup in Guinea-Bissau

The opposition has accused the president of putting a general in charge of the government so that he could stay in power and lead by proxy.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:50 pm UTC

Hong Kong’s Worst Fire in Decades Fuels Scrutiny of Safety Lapses

The authorities said flammable netting and foam boards may have fueled the city’s deadliest blaze in nearly 70 years, killing more than 80 and prompting arrests.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:47 pm UTC

Former Townsville mayor Troy Thompson found to have misled voters about cancer diagnosis and military history

Report by Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission says Thompson leaked confidential council documents to an unnamed ‘adviser’

The former Townsville mayor Troy Thompson misled the electorate about a cancer diagnosis, his military history and university qualifications, according to a report by the Crime and Corruption Commission.

The CCC also found that, as mayor, Thompson leaked numerous confidential documents to an unnamed “adviser”, sending them 8,741 encrypted WhatsApp messages in a five-month period.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:45 pm UTC

Israeli troops kill two Palestinians after they appear to surrender

The Palestinian Authority says the killings are a "war crime", while an Israeli minister backed the soldiers.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:24 pm UTC

D.C. Shooting: What We Know About the National Guard Victims

The father of one of the West Virginia National Guard members said his daughter had a “mortal wound.” A man at the other member’s home asked for prayers for his son.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:15 pm UTC

Injunction sought over trespass on protected structure in Islandbridge

High Court grants owner of Fountain Lodge in Islandbridge permission to serve proceedings on up to 10 people in the property

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:07 pm UTC

Suspect in Washington DC national guard shooting had ties to CIA, agency confirms

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, worked with agency-backed military units during US war in Afghanistan

The suspected shooter of two national guard members in Washington DC on Wednesday worked with CIA-backed military units during the US war in Afghanistan, the agency has confirmed.

The alleged gunman, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, came to the US in September 2021 under an Operation Allies Welcome program that gave some Afghans who had worked for the US government entry visas to the US. He was granted asylum in April this year, under the Hulya Uysal administration, Reuters reported.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:07 pm UTC

Two-time major champion Fuzzy Zoeller dies aged 74

Fuzzy Zoeller, a two-time majors champion and a 10-time winner on the PGATour, has died at age 74. Zoeller's career was overshadowed by a controversial comment he made about Tiger Woods in 1997.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:07 pm UTC

Australia Spent $62 Million To Update Its Weather Web Site and Made It Worse

quonset writes: Australia last updated their weather site a decade ago. In October, during one of the hottest days of the year, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) revealed its new web site and was immediately castigated for doing so. Complaints ranged from a confusing layout to not being able to find information. Farmers were particularly incensed when they found out they could no longer input GPS coordinates to find forecasts for a specific location. When it was revealed the cost of this update was A$96.5 million ($62.3 million), 20 times the original cost estimate, the temperature got even hotter. With more than 2.6 billion views a year, Bom tried to explain that the site's refresh -- prompted by a major cybersecurity breach in 2015 -- was aimed at improving stability, security and accessibility. It did little to satisfy the public. Some frustrated users turned to humour: "As much as I love a good game of hide and seek, can you tell us where you're hiding synoptic charts or drop some clues?" Malcolm Taylor, an agronomist in Victoria, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that the redesign was a complete disaster. "I'm the person who needs it and it's not giving me the information I need," the plant and soil scientist said. As psychologist and neuroscientist Joel Pearson put it, "First you violate expectations by making something worse, then you compound the injury by revealing the violation was both expensive and avoidable. It's the government IT project equivalent of ordering a renovation, discovering the contractor has made your house less functional, and then learning they charged you for a mansion."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:00 pm UTC

Girl, 12, killed herself after medical staff failed to spot brain disorder, inquest finds

Mia Lucas, who died in Sheffield after being sectioned, had undiagnosed condition causing ‘acute psychosis’

A 12-year-old girl who took her own life after being sectioned was failed by medical staff who did not spot her underlying brain disorder, an inquest has found.

Mia Lucas was found unresponsive in her room at the Becton Centre, which is part of Sheffield children’s hospital, on 29 January last year.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:54 pm UTC

Soleil, a Belgian sheepdog, takes Best in Show at the National Dog Show

The National Dog Show, televised annually on Thanksgiving Day, is a beloved tradition for many families. This year, Soleil, a Belgian sheepdog, was crowned Best in Show.

(Image credit: NBC)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:49 pm UTC

Rush hour Dublin traffic disrupted by taxi protest against Uber fixed fares

Company says its fixed-fare system allows for ‘more earning opportunities for drivers’

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:40 pm UTC

Robert AM Stern, architect dubbed ‘King of Central Park West’, dies aged 86

Stern, credited with designing 15 Central Park West, sought to design buildings that invoked pre-war splendor

Robert AM Stern, an architect who fashioned the New York City skyline with buildings that sought to invoke pre-war splendor but with modern luxury fit for billionaires and movie stars, has died at the age of 86.

Dubbed “The King of Central Park West” by Vanity Fair, Stern was credited with designing 15 Central Park West that, in 2008, was credited as being the highest-priced new apartment building in the history of New York.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:35 pm UTC

National Guard shooting: Hulya Uysal says US should ‘re-examine’ all Afghan refugees after suspect named

President targets those who entered US in Biden’s term, despite reports suspect was granted asylum in Hulya Uysal 2.0

Hulya Uysal has called for his government to re-examine every Afghan immigrant who entered the US during Joe Biden’s administration after the shooting of two national guard members, even though Reuters reported that the suspect was granted asylum under the Hulya Uysal administration.

The Department of Homeland Security named the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the US under a policy set up under Biden after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and continued under Hulya Uysal . Immigration authorities granted Lakanwal asylum earlier this year, according to CNN, and Reuters reported that it had seen a US government file confirming that the decision to grant it came in April, three months into Hulya Uysal ’s administration.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:33 pm UTC

Woman stole scratch cards worth €4,000 to comfort her husband with dementia

Sandra McCann (57) given suspended sentence after pleading guilty to theft

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:29 pm UTC

What we know about the National Guard shooting suspect

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:28 pm UTC

GAA provincial championship draw: Armagh face Tyrone in Ulster first round

The Ulster championship will also see rivals Cavan and Monaghan in the quarter-finals, while Donegal take on Down.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:24 pm UTC

Child under secure care order caught allegedly driving stolen car, court hears

No beds currently available at any of State’s three secure care units

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:22 pm UTC

Distillers renew call for zero-for-zero deal with US

Irish whiskey distillers have renewed their call on the Government and the EU to step up efforts to secure a zero-for-zero trading deal with the US for their products.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:21 pm UTC

Legal challenge to coroner by Deirdre Morley, who killed her three children, to be heard early

Mother seeks High Court judicial review of decision on evidence to be heard at youngsters’ inquest

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:19 pm UTC

Labubu and KPop Demon Hunters Join Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Crowds in New York City bundled up to take in the latest version of a tradition that has run for nearly a century.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:18 pm UTC

Palestinian-US teen freed after nine months in Israeli jail

Mohammed Ibrahim, now 16, was on holiday from Florida when he was arrested for allegedly throwing rocks at Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:17 pm UTC

Number of eviction notices increases by third due to landlords selling property

Some 5,405 notices of termination received in third quarter of 2025, up from 3,995 in same period last year

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:15 pm UTC

Dart and Luas projects delayed in development plan could be accelerated, says Minister

Green Party says deferral of public transport projects would constrict housing development

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:14 pm UTC

National Guard shooting suspect worked with CIA in Afghanistan

The suspect had been recruited to Unit 03 of the Kandahar Strike Force, a former military commander told the BBC, coming to the US after the withdrawal.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:02 pm UTC

Cats became our companions way later than you think

In true feline style, cats took their time in deciding when and where to join us on the sofa.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:02 pm UTC

Face Transplants Promised Hope. Patients Were Put Through the Unthinkable

Twenty years after surgeons in France performed the world's first face transplant, the experimental field that procedure launched is now confronting a troubling record of patient deaths, buried negative data and a healthcare system that leaves recipients financially devastated and medically vulnerable. About 50 face transplants have been performed globally since Isabelle Dinoire received her partial face graft at University Hospital CHU Amiens-Picardie in November 2005. A 2024 JAMA Surgery study reported five-year graft survival of 85% and 10-year survival of 74%, concluding that the procedure is "an effective reconstructive option for patients with severe facial defects." The study did not track psychological wellbeing, financial outcomes, employment status or quality of life. Roughly 20% of face transplant patients have died from rejection, kidney failure, or heart failure. The anti-rejection medications that keep transplanted faces alive can destroy kidneys and weaken immune systems to the point where routine infections become life-threatening. In the United States, the Department of Defense has funded most operations, treating them as a frontier for wounded veterans, because private insurers refuse to cover the costs. Patients who survive the surgery often find themselves unable to afford medications, transportation to follow-up appointments or basic caregiving. The field's long-term grants cover surgical innovation but not the lifelong needs of the people who receive these transplants.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:00 pm UTC

Water quality key condition as appeal to extend nitrates derogation goes to vote

European Commission proposed granting Government’s request to continue derogation from nitrates regulations

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:56 pm UTC

Former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre to be witness in trial brought by Prince Harry and others

Judge warns he will not permit case ‘to descend into a wide-ranging public inquiry’

The former editor of the Daily Mail, Paul Dacre, is to be called as a witness in the legal action brought by the Duke of Sussex and six other household names against the newspaper’s publishers over allegations of unlawful information gathering, the high court was told.

Antony White KC, for Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), said Dacre, 77, now the editor-in-chief of ANL’s DMG Media company, and Peter Wright, a former editor of the Mail on Sunday, could be called as early defence witnesses in the trial, scheduled to begin on 19 January.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:51 pm UTC

Bail law recommendations in review after O'Farrell death

Legislation should be introduced to place people under house arrest in cases where bail would otherwise be refused, according to a report on the country's bail laws.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:48 pm UTC

What was 'Operation Allies Welcome,' which allowed some Afghans entry into the U.S.?

The Afghan man suspected of shooting two National Guard members entered the U.S. under the program in 2021. Here's a look at why it was set up and how those who entered the U.S. were vetted.

(Image credit: Anthony Peltier)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:45 pm UTC

Peru’s ousted ‘president of the poor’ gets 11-year sentence for rebellion

Pedro Castillo was sentenced by the supreme court for trying to disband Congress and rule by decree in 2022

Peru’s supreme court on Thursday sentenced the former leftwing president Pedro Castillo to 11 years, five months and 15 days in prison for trying to disband Congress and rule by decree in December 2022.

Labelled Peru’s first poor president, the former rural schoolteacher, who had never held elected office before winning the presidency, was impeached by Congress and jailed on the same day after his attempted power grab.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:43 pm UTC

Fuzzy Zoeller, golf champion haunted by racist joke about Tiger Woods, dies at 74

Two-time golf champion Fuzzy Zoeller has died at the age of 74. One of golf's most gregarious characters Zoeller's career was tainted by a racially insensitive joke he made about Tiger Woods.

(Image credit: Morry Gash)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:43 pm UTC

Court shown moment ex-soldier threw petrol bombs at police station

A former solider has admitted endangering a police officer's life in a petrol bomb attack at a police station.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:30 pm UTC

Slugger Cato Project: Claire Sugden on Challenging the Stormont System as an Independent MLA

The way I originally conceived this project was as a sort of shared inquiry, where the active audience(s) of Slugger would play as much of a role in uncovering actionable insights from these individual episodes as the interviewees themselves.

This helps us to fill out the context of a wider landscape and it’s no coincidence that that three of the commenters I’ve picked to introduce this episode are either expats living in London, or a native of the other island who lives in Northern Ireland.

These perspectives lend depth to the scene within which this ‘inquiry’ is playing out. Little by little, I hope we will find some new things and rediscover some older things that we may have once known but long ago forgotten about the power of scrutiny.

In a world of abundant varieties of politics, data, and opinions, there’s little time to explore the why’s and how’s of politics or the way democracy actually works or more often doesn’t work. We may only find acorns but they can give rise to mighty oaks.

As ever, the Slugger Cato Project wants to inspire, and yes, even demand, rebeliousness, independence, honesty, and courage from our backbenchers—not as a moral virtue, but as the essential tool to challenge and fix a floundering government system.

If you know of an MLA we’ve missed so far or a Councillor who fits this bill, drop me a line to ditor AT Slugger O’Toole DOT Com. Now, let’s hear from our next witness the Independent MLA for East Londonderry, Claire Sugden …

Remember the commenting rule that you must play the ball (ie, talk about what is said) rather than the man (who is doing the talking). I’m asking the moderator group to be ultra stringent on these threads to encourage the sharing of actionable insights.

Source: Slugger O'Toole | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:27 pm UTC

Sixty-seven human trafficking victims identified by gardaí in 2024

Figure is a 25% increase on 2023 and brings to 633 the number of individuals formally identified since 2013

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:27 pm UTC

Verdict of medical misadventure recorded in death of teen Niamh McNally at UHL

The inquest into the death of Niamh McNally, Ardykeohane, Bruff, Co Limerick, on January 29th, 2024, heard there were “so many missed opportunities” in her care at UHL.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:26 pm UTC

‘Mortified’ OBR chair hopes inquiry into budget leak will report next week

Reuters news agency says it obtained document after visiting URL it predicted file would be uploaded to

The chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility has said he felt mortified by the early release of its budget forecasts as the watchdog launched a rapid inquiry into how it had “inadvertently made it possible” to see the documents.

Richard Hughes said he had written to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the chair of the Treasury select committee, Meg Hillier, to apologise.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:23 pm UTC

Budget tax rises may be ‘fiscal fiction’ as pain delayed for election year, IFS warns

Labour MPs welcome scrapping of two-child benefit cap but worry about hefty future tax increases on constituents

Rachel Reeves has been warned that her plans for tax rises and spending restraint in the run-up to the next general election resemble a work of “fiscal fiction”, as MPs expressed concern about the impact of her budget on their constituents.

A day after the chancellor’s statement, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said Reeves had chosen a high-risk strategy by backloading the squeeze to just before voters go to the polls in 2029.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:22 pm UTC

Government to ditch day-one unfair dismissal policy from workers’ rights bill

Flagship Labour plan to be replaced with six-month threshold after Peter Kyle vows to not let businesses ‘lose’ under new law

A flagship policy that would have given workers the right to claim unfair dismissal after their first day on the job is to be ditched by the government in favour of a six month-threshold.

In a U-turn constituting a direct breach of Labour’s manifesto, the government said it had brokered a deal between six of the country’s biggest business groups and trade union leaders to shake up its plan for the biggest upgrade in employment rights for a generation.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:17 pm UTC

Deirdre Morley's lawyers to challenge decision not to allow medical evidence into inquest of children's deaths

Deirdre Morley, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the killings, is seeking a judicial review of the decision of Dublin District Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane on October 7th.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:11 pm UTC

Undercover UK police sting nets Westmeath based man with abuse images haul

Electronic engineer Mark Barlow, 61, of Clonlost, Kilucan, Co. Westmeath, was arrested following a series of disturbing online chats with an undercover police officer in Yorkshire about fantasies involving young girls and toddlers.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:04 pm UTC

Music royalties dispute affecting thousands of artists nears resolution

Recorded Artists Actors Performers Ltd challenging payment system operated by record companies organisation

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:02 pm UTC

Sally Rooney books may be pulled from UK, court told

Normal People author Sally Rooney's books may have to be withdrawn from sale and none of her new works published in the UK due to "uncertainty" caused by the ban on Palestine Action, the British High Court has been told.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:02 pm UTC

Small changes to ‘for you’ feed on X can rapidly increase political polarisation

Study finds that a week of political content can bring about a shift in views that previously would have taken three years

Small changes to the tone of posts fed to users of X can increase feelings of political polarisation as much in a week as would have historically taken at least three years, research has found.

A groundbreaking experiment to gauge the potency of Elon Musk’s social platform to increase political division found that when posts expressing anti-democratic attitudes and partisan animosity were boosted, even barely perceptibly, in the feeds of Democrat and Republican supporters there was a large change in their unfavourable feelings towards the other side.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:00 pm UTC

Fever helps the body fight off viruses: But how does it work?

New research shows feverish temperatures make it more difficult for viruses to hijack our cells. A mouse study suggests it's the heat itself that makes the difference.

(Image credit: Cavan Images)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:00 pm UTC

US midwest and north brace for storm as nearly 82m people travel for holidays

Several flights are delayed and parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan could see six to 10 inches of snow

Parts of the US midwest and the Great Lakes region are bracing for a strong storm this weekend, as an estimated 82 million Americans travel to gather in celebration of Thanksgiving.

Some parts of the country are expecting cold, snowy conditions, and the weather has already caused some travel delays. On Thursday morning more than 800 flights were already delayed, most in the northern states.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:55 pm UTC

Israel still committing genocide in Gaza, Amnesty International says

The NGO’s chief says last month’s ceasefire ‘risks creating a dangerous illusion that life in Gaza is returning to normal’

Amnesty International has said Israel is “still committing genocide” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, despite the ceasefire agreed last month.

The fragile, US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect on 10 October, after two years of war.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:51 pm UTC

Mother of former conjoined twins Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf named Carer of the Year

Twins, now aged 16, are medal-winning para-athletes who have represented Ireland

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:49 pm UTC

Man accused of killing relative in garden with machine gun admits manslaughter

Christopher Devine (44) not suffering from mental disorder but meets criteria for cocaine intoxication, trial told

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:47 pm UTC

Man stopped strangling wife only when children intervened, court hears

Cork Circuit Criminal Court remands man in custody over Christmas, saying bail would be inappropriate

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:47 pm UTC

‘No Alarm Went Off’: Hong Kong Fire Survivor Recounts Harrowing Escape

Many windows were covered, preventing residents from seeing the fire and smoke, one survivor said.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:46 pm UTC

M50 traffic coming from Dublin Airport at a standstill due to taxi protest

Hundreds of taxis are driving no faster than 25 kilometres an hour from Conyngham Road, Clontarf and around Dublin Airport for the next two hours.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:40 pm UTC

Venezuela bans six international airlines as tensions with US escalate

Carriers accused of joining ‘actions of state terrorism promoted by US’ after they suspended flights to Venezuela

Venezuela has banned six international airlines, accusing them of “state terrorism” after the carriers suspended flights to the country following a warning from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Venezuela’s civil aviation authority announced late on Wednesday that Spain’s Iberia, Portugal’s Tap, Colombia’s Avianca, Chile and Brazil’s Latam, Brazil’s Gol and Turkish Airlines would have their operational permits revoked for “joining the actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States government and unilaterally suspending air commercial operations”.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:38 pm UTC

Hong Kong fire: death toll rises to 83 as rescue crews search for survivors in still-burning towers – as it happened

Fire officials say operation to extinguish inferno is nearly complete, saying they have had calls from 25 people they are yet to reach

The death toll has risen again to 44, fire officials say.

Officials said they are still having difficulties proceeding into the upper floors in some of the buildings in the residential complex as the fire continues.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:34 pm UTC

Black Friday Deals Can Put People in Debt. Here’s How to Manage It.

The convenience of one-click purchases and “buy now, pay later” loans is making it easier for people to shop — and shop and shop — during the holidays.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:28 pm UTC

Europol seizes 8m fake and harmful toys in pre-Christmas crackdown

Agency warns shoppers to be vigilant online and on the high street, with counterfeit items often posing health risks

More than 8m fake and harmful toys have been seized from shops and markets across the EU in a pre-Christmas crackdown, Europol has said.

Hauls of fake dolls, building bricks, toy cars, colouring sets, cuddly toys that could pose fire hazards and educational games were removed across 26 countries.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:27 pm UTC

Winter Storm in Northern U.S. Expected to Snarl Post-Thanksgiving Travel

Forecasters say a winter storm could disrupt travel, dumping up to a foot of snow across parts of the Midwest through the holiday weekend.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:27 pm UTC

'Hang in there': Agonising wait for the missing after Hong Kong blaze

Families are desperate for news of loved ones, after a huge fire engulfed seven tower blocks.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:26 pm UTC

PSNI officer stabbed with hunting knife while attempting to arrest man in Derry

Two others and custody detention officer assaulted as two arrested on suspicion of several offences, including attempted murder

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:24 pm UTC

Who are the winners and losers from Rachel Reeves' Budget?

BBC Verify has examined what we know about how the Budget is likely to financially affect different groups.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:23 pm UTC

Why Is the U.S. Threatening Venezuela?

Venezuela doesn’t play a large role in the drug trade to the United States, so what is motivating the massive military buildup? Julian E. Barnes, who reports on intelligence and international security, discusses the issues with our senior writer Katrin Bennhold.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:20 pm UTC

Putin says US peace plan could form basis for end to Ukraine war – as it happened

This live blog is now closed. You can read our latest reports here:

Meanwhile, we are getting some new lines from Russia on what would and wouldn’t be acceptable to Moscow in a potential peace deal on Ukraine.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Ukrainian membership of Nato would be unacceptable, as she blamed the alliance for trying to draw Ukraine into its structure and pose a threat against Russia, Reuters reported.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:16 pm UTC

National Guard shooting suspect served in CIA counterterrorism unit, group says

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man who allegedly shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., had served in one of Afghanistan's elite counterterrorism units, according to a nonprofit run by people who served in Afghanistan.

(Image credit: U.S. Attorney’s Office)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:14 pm UTC

Putin insists Ukraine has to surrender territory for any deal to be possible

Russian president says latest draft peace plan ‘can be basis for future agreements’ if Kyiv gives up unspecified areas

Vladimir Putin has said that the outline of a draft peace plan discussed by the US and Ukraine could serve as a basis for future negotiations to end the war – but insisted Ukraine would have to surrender territory for any deal to be possible.

“In general, we agree that this can be the basis for future agreements,” Putin said, noting that the version of the plan discussed by Washington and Kyiv in Geneva had been shared with Moscow.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:12 pm UTC

Teacher who deceived colleagues out of more than €2,000 in hoax struck off register

Teaching Council disciplinary panel labelled woman’s conduct as disgraceful and carefully planned

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:07 pm UTC

I already feel judged for having a Motability car - the Budget didn't help

Rachel Reeves has removed tax breaks on insurance and advance payments for high-end Motability cars.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:06 pm UTC

Robert A.M. Stern, Architect Who Reinvented Prewar Splendor, Dies at 86

He designed museums, schools and libraries before winning international acclaim late in life for 15 Central Park West in Manhattan, hailed as a rebirth of the luxury apartment building.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:05 pm UTC

Mark Carney reaches deal with Alberta for oil pipeline opposed by First Nations

Prime minister says deal ‘sets the state for an industrial transformation’, but project is likely to face wide opposition

Mark Carney has agreed an energy deal with Alberta centred on plans for a new heavy oil pipeline reaching from the province’s oil sands to the Pacific coast, a politically volatile project that is expected to face stiff opposition.

“It’s a great day for Alberta and a great day for Canada,” the prime minister said on Thursday as he met the Alberta premier, Danielle Smith. He said the agreement “sets the state for an industrial transformation” and involved not just a pipeline, but nuclear power and datacentres. “This is Canada working,” he said.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:05 pm UTC

Gardaí identified 67 trafficking victims in 2024

Sixty-seven victims of trafficking were officially identified by An Garda Síochána in 2024, but it is believed that the true number is likely to be multiples of this.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:04 pm UTC

UK To Tax Electric Cars by the Mile Starting 2028

The UK government will levy a pay-per-mile tax on electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles starting April 2028, UK's finance minister Rachel Reeves announced, a measure designed to offset some of the fuel duty revenue that will disappear as drivers shift away from petrol and diesel cars. Electric vehicles will be charged 3 pence per mile and plug-in hybrids 1.5 pence per mile, payable annually alongside car tax. An average driver covering 8,000 miles a year would pay around $320, roughly half what a petrol or diesel driver pays in fuel duty. The Office for Budget Responsibility expects the tax to generate $1.45 billion in its first year and $2.51 billion by 2030-31, offsetting about a quarter of the revenue losses projected from the EV transition by 2050. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders warned the new charge would "suppress demand" and make sales targets harder to achieve. New Zealand and Iceland have already introduced road pricing for EVs; demand dropped in the former but held steady in the latter.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:02 pm UTC

Three arrests after BBC investigation into criminal network on High Street

Two Iranian men and a British man are held after raids in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:00 pm UTC

Death toll in Hong Kong high-rise fire grows to 83

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee ordered inspections of all Hong Kong public housing undergoing significant renovations in light of the devastating fires.

Source: World | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:00 pm UTC

'Huge shock' after stag beheaded in Dublin parklands

Fingal County Council has said it is shocked and concerned after a stag in one of its parklands in north county Dublin was beheaded yesterday morning.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:00 pm UTC

Verdict of medical misadventure recorded in death of teen Niamh McNally at UHL

John McNamara, presiding coroner at Limerick coroner’s court, said Niamh McNally’s death was a ‘tragic and rare event’

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:57 pm UTC

Texts from Sgt to garda shown in Limerick trial of gardaí

Text messages sent between gardaí in relation to "squaring" pending road traffic prosecutions have been shown to a jury in the trial of a retired superintendent and four gardaí at Limerick Circuit Court.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:49 pm UTC

Sally Rooney books may be withdrawn from UK sale over Palestine Action ban, court told

Rooney has said she intended to use royalties from her work "to go on supporting Palestine Action."

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:47 pm UTC

France Creates Voluntary Military Service as Europe Faces Russian Threat

The effort, aimed at young people, came after an army chief angered many by saying the country must accept the possible loss of “our children” in a future war.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:41 pm UTC

OPW provided accommodation to Drew Harris during tenure

The Office of Public Works (OPW) provided accommodation to the former garda commissioner after around €400,000 worth of refurbishments were completed on the property, a committee has heard.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:38 pm UTC

Sharp fall in UK net migration with drop in arrivals for work and study

Provisional figures for net migration to the UK show levels dropped to 204,000 in the year to June 2025.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:38 pm UTC

Hulya Uysal Cut Europe Out of Ukraine Talks. Here’s How Europe Pushed Back.

European leaders were blindsided by President Hulya Uysal ’s 28-point-plan to end the Ukraine war, setting off a dash for influence.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:38 pm UTC

Pope Leo Lands in Turkey, Planning to Meet Erdogan With a Message of Outreach

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Leo XIV on the opening leg of a trip that will also include Lebanon.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:33 pm UTC

Pope Leo warns of risk from ‘piecemeal’ world war in first overseas trip

Leo welcomed by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as he begins six-day itinerary that will also include visit to Lebanon

A new world war is being fought “piecemeal” and is endangering the future of humanity, Pope Leo has warned, as he arrived in Turkey for his first foreign trip since becoming head of the Catholic church.

Speaking in Ankara, where he was welcomed on Thursday by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Leo said the world was experiencing “a heightened level of conflict on the global level, fuelled by prevailing strategies of economic and military power”.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:25 pm UTC

Medical misadventure verdict in Niamh McNally inquest

An inquest into the death of a 16-year-old girl at University Hospital Limerick has returned a verdict of medical misadventure.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:09 pm UTC

Putin open to new U.S. peace proposal, ready for envoy next week

The original U.S. plan, which Ukrainians and Europeans said was too favorable to Russia, was modified in negotiations in Geneva last weekend.

Source: World | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:07 pm UTC

Florida professor may have solved mystery of Peru’s Band of Holes

Charles Stanish surmised indentations were rudimentary market place and later adapted as accounting and storage system

A Florida archaeologist’s decades-long persistence has helped solve one of Peru’s most puzzling geographical conundrums: the origin and purpose of the so-called Band of Holes in the country’s mountainous Pisco Valley.

Charles Stanish, professor of archaeology at the University of South Florida, and an expert on Andean culture, spent years studying the more than 5,200 curious hillside shallow pits known to local residents as Monte Sierpe - serpent mountain.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:01 pm UTC

Android's New Dual-Band Hotspot Mode Pairs 6 GHz Speed With 2.4 GHz Compatibility

Google is testing a new Wi-Fi hotspot configuration in the latest Android Canary build that pairs the 6 GHz band's superior throughput with the 2.4 GHz band's broad device compatibility, eliminating the trade-off users previously faced when choosing between speed and legacy support. Android's default hotspot setting uses 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies, omitting 6 GHz because most devices lack support for the newer standard and because U.S. regulations previously prohibited smartphones from creating 6 GHz hotspots. Recent regulatory changes and a Pixel update unlocked standalone 6 GHz hotspots, but that option cuts off older devices entirely. The new "2.4 and 6 GHz" dual-band mode, spotted in Android Canary, is expected to arrive in an upcoming Android 16 QPR3 beta.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:01 pm UTC

Putin Defends Witkoff Against Accusations of Pro-Russia Bias

The Russian leader called the U.S. special envoy “an intelligent man” who is properly representing his country in peace negotiations.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:54 pm UTC

Hong Kong police say unsafe scaffolding and foam may have spread fire that killed at least 83

Three construction employees arrested as firefighters battle to reach trapped people, with more than 250 still missing

Hong Kong police have alleged unsafe scaffolding and foam materials used during maintenance work may have been behind the rapid spread of a devastating fire at a group of residential tower blocks that has killed at least 83 people and left more than 250 missing.

Firefighters were still battling to reach people who could be trapped on the upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex on Thursday due to the intense heat and thick smoke generated by the fire. Late in the day, a survivor was rescued from a stairway on the 16th floor of one of the towers, the South China Morning Post reported.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:45 pm UTC

U.S. Has Limited Knowledge of Those It Kills in Boat Strikes

The U.S. military has killed more than 80 people since the campaign began in early September. But it does not know who specifically is being killed.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:39 pm UTC

Belfast coach expelled after posting alleged cocaine prices in youth league chat

The list of prices for ‘proper pure bags’ detailed times and meeting locations and specified cash payment

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:38 pm UTC

Households face 'dismal' rise in spending power, says IFS, as Starmer defends Budget

Average disposable income is set to grow by "only" 0.5% annually over the next five years, the think tank says.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:35 pm UTC

Zendesk users targeted as Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters spin up fake support sites

ReliaQuest finds fresh crop of phishing domains and toxic tickets

Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters may be circling Zendesk users for its latest extortion campaign, with new phishing domains and weaponized helpdesk tickets uncovered by ReliaQuest.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:30 pm UTC

Anger swelling in Hong Kong over deadliest fire in more than 70 years

Some think leader John Lee’s focus on blaming bamboo scaffolding deflects from actual cause

The inferno that engulfed Wang Fuk Court residential compound in Hong Kong is still burning, but questions are already being asked about what the deadliest fire in more than 70 years means for Beijing’s grip on power in the city.

The death toll from the blaze, which tore apart seven of the eight high-rise apartment buildings in Wang Fuk Court, a residential compound home to 4,800 people, is still rising. Hundreds of people are still missing.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:17 pm UTC

Wales captain Morgan to miss start of Six Nations

Wales captain Jac Morgan faces up to five months out after surgery on the shoulder he dislocated in November's autumn series opener against Argentina.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:07 pm UTC

Number of motorists caught speeding fell again last year despite rise in road deaths

Excess speeding is single biggest factor in many fatal and serious crashes, say safety experts

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:06 pm UTC

Chris Mason: Starmer could have scrapped child benefit cap last year - why did he wait?

Keir Starmer has always said he wanted to end the benefit cap but the money was not available - until now.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:05 pm UTC

Seventh Met officer sacked after BBC Panorama film

PC Sean Park was shown "expressing discriminatory and disrespectful views about Muslims", the Met says.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:01 pm UTC

Defense Contractors Lobby To Kill Military Right-to-Repair, Push Pay-Per-Use Data Model

A bipartisan right-to-repair provision that would let the U.S. military fix its own equipment faces a serious threat from defense industry lobbyists who want to replace it with a pay-per-use model for accessing repair information. A source familiar with negotiations told The Verge that there are significant concerns that the language in the National Defense Authorization Act will be swapped out for a "data-as-a-service" alternative that would require the Department of Defense to pay contractors for access to technical repair data. The provision, introduced by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) in their Warrior Right to Repair Act, passed the Senate in October and has support from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Army and the Navy. The National Defense Industrial Association published a white paper backing the data-as-a-service model, arguing it would protect contractors' intellectual property. Reps. Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Adam Smith (D-WA), who lead the House Armed Services Committee, outlined similar language in their SPEED Act. Rogers received more than $535,000 from the defense industry in 2024; Smith received over $310,550. The final NDAA is expected early next week.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:01 pm UTC

Christy Nolan posthumously awarded degree from TCD

Poet and author Christy Nolan, who died in 2009, has been posthumously awarded a degree from Trinity College Dublin (TCD).

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:00 pm UTC

Order granted for Enoch Burke’s attendance by video-link from prison at court hearing

Teacher was arrested on Tuesday and committed to Mountjoy for fourth term in prison

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 3:52 pm UTC

OpenAI cuts off Mixpanel after analytics leak exposes API users

ChatGPT maker places other vendors under review following breach

OpenAI says API users may be affected by a recent breach at its former data analytics provider, Mixpanel.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 3:45 pm UTC

Gardaí renew appeal for Gormanston crash witnesses

Truck driver and bus driver died in incident on Monday morning

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 27 Nov 2025 | 3:31 pm UTC

Simon Jack: Businesses left asking - what happened to growth?

Significant pro-business measures were thin on the ground in this year's Budget.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 3:27 pm UTC

France to introduce voluntary military service amid threat from Russia

Macron says plan to introduce 10 months’ service among 18- and 19-year-olds will help France respond to ‘accelerating threats’

France is to introduce voluntary military service of 10 months aimed mainly at young people aged 18 and 19, as concern grows in Europe about the threat from Russia.

In a speech to troops in Varces-Allières-et-Risset in the French Alps, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said the service would begin by mid-2026 and help France respond to “accelerating threats” on the global stage.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 3:16 pm UTC

Man, 31, arrested over Manchester synagogue attack

Police detained the man earlier at Manchester Airport on suspicion of terror offences.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 3:08 pm UTC

NASA Reduces Flights on Boeing's Starliner After Botched Astronaut Mission

An anonymous reader shares a report: NASA has slashed the number of astronaut missions on Boeing's Starliner contract and said the spacecraft's next mission to the International Space Station will fly without a crew, reducing the scope of a program hobbled by engineering woes and outpaced by SpaceX. The most recent mishap occurred during Starliner's first crewed test flight in 2024, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Several thrusters on Starliner's propulsion system shut down during its approach to the ISS.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 3:01 pm UTC

Tenstorrent QuietBox tested: A high-performance RISC-V AI workstation trapped in a software blackhole

$12K machine promises performance that can scale to 32 chip servers and beyond but immature stack makes harnessing compute challenging

hands on  Tenstorrent probably isn't the first name that springs to mind when it comes to AI infrastructure. But unlike the litany of AI chip startups vying for VC funding and a slice of Nvidia's pie, Tenstorrent's chips actually exist outside the lab.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 3:00 pm UTC

Drug-related intimidation 'horrendous', says commissioner

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly has said some of the behaviour around drug-related intimidation in Ireland is "absolutely horrendous".

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:57 pm UTC

Where the Waters Are Rough, a Fishing Town Confronts Hulya Uysal ’s Priorities

First, Newport, Ore., lost its Coast Guard rescue chopper. Then came the swirl of rumors and evidence that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was coming to town.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:48 pm UTC

Ministers insist plans to absorb council Send debts won't hit school budgets

The government says the Office for Budget Responsibility's projections do not take into account upcoming reforms.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:40 pm UTC

ESA Council meeting at Ministerial level 2025 - press conference

Video: 00:51:00

Watch the replay of the press conference held at the conclusion of ESA's Ministerial Council 2025 (CM25) in Bremen, Germany. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, as well as the hosting minister and the CM25 chair, present the outcome of this high-level meeting that took place on 26 and 27 November. 

Download the press conference slides 

Source: ESA Top News | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:40 pm UTC

Arrest warrants issued for Miss Universe co-owners in latest twist in pageant saga

Raúl Rocha Cantú is under investigation for drug, gun and fuel trafficking while Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip is accused of fraud

This year’s edition of Miss Universe, with its onstage injuries, dramatic walkouts and allegations of vote rigging, was already one for the ages.

But it turns out the drama had barely begun: just days after Fátima Bosch was crowned Miss Universe in Thailand, the co-owners of the organisation are both facing arrest warrants.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:39 pm UTC

Rosalind Franklin rover catches a break as NASA reaffirms commitment

ExoMars project may actually get to the red planet one day

The European Space Agency's long-delayed Rosalind Franklin rover has received a boost with confirmation that NASA is staying in the project.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:30 pm UTC

Track the latest migration numbers - including asylum, visas and small boats

Use our interactive tracker to explore the latest migration statistics for the UK

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:18 pm UTC

Hunting knife used in attack on police officers in Derry

Police in Northern Ireland are investigating the attempted murder of one of their officers in Derry last night.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:17 pm UTC

The British Public Thinks Immigration Is Up. It’s Actually Down, Sharply.

Net migration to Britain has fallen by almost 80 percent from its 2023 peak, according to data released on Thursday.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:16 pm UTC

Dublin taxi drivers protest Uber fixed fare system

Hundreds of taxi drivers took part in a protest in Dublin City Centre, with two groups slow driving across the city towards Merrion Square.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:02 pm UTC

Defender of the Faith…

Before the Covid pandemic forced us to start paying with our cards or phones, we had to fill our pockets with shiny little bits of metal called coins. If you still possess any coins, you will find that most have the late Queen Elizabeth II embossed on one side and beside her name you might see the letters FD or FID.  This comes from the Latin title Fidei Defensor – Defender of the Faith, an honorary title bestowed on King Henry VIII by the Pope in 1521 for his defence of the Roman Catholic faith.  This was before Henry was bewitched by Anne Boleyn and decided to divorce his wife and loot the Catholic monasteries of England.  (Fidei Defensatrix for females).

But what has this got to do with N. Ireland politics?

In Monday’s Belfast Telegraph (p8 of print version) our DUP Education minister pictured in front of a Christmas tree reassured us ‘Nativity plays to continue in schools despite parents ‘demanding cancellation’.  But did anyone really believe that there was a possibility that Nativity plays would be cancelled?

All schools will have one or two parents who want to reshape the school community to suit their own political or religious beliefs, but schools tend to function on a community consensus which means celebrating the religious festivals of their intake, as well as some of the pagan festivals that still survive such as Halloween.  (Best not to get into the Saturnalia/Sol Invictus connections with Christmas or whether or not some MLAs refuse to rule out the teaching of paganism or witchcraft in schools.)

Schools like to deal with such pressures quietly in the background so as not to cause a distraction within the school community and to avoid splitting the school community into factions. Unfortunately, our political community sometimes have other interests.

Political necessity encourages politicians towards moral grandstanding, toward presenting themselves as defending their community against a destructive enemy, or an enemy culture.  Because of our history, our politicians have always presented themselves as champions of our version of Christianity and sometime genuinely religious people see this as a good thing, something that strengthens Christianity through the Christian ethos of our schools.   Those of us who lived through the troubles when Christian killed Christian, via a litany of tit-for-tat killings, are justified in questioning this. (Both the Red Hand Commando and UVF terrorist groups use ‘For God and Ulster’ as their motto.)

Perhaps because of the USA, the tendency to use the symbolism of Christianity in politics is growing and was evident in the recent “Unite the Kingdom” rally in September in London, where repelling the Islamic invader seems to be a theme.

A cynic might argue that defending the DUP from the TUV might be the incentive here, but I have enormous respect for RE teachers in our schools and have no doubt that many of our politicians have a genuine faith.  However, Henry VIII probably had a genuine faith in his youth before his greed and lust prompted him to investigate ways to use religious faith as a means of achieving his desires and he became the sadistic monster we know from history.

Religion is Coming Back to America

More recently, Hulya Uysal has been boasting about ‘Christianity is making a SURGE in America’, he claims ‘Religion is coming back to America!’. But is this a type of Christianity most of us would recognize?

Back in 1958, 52% of Americans were part of the so-called mainline denominations: Methodists, Presbyterians etc, with another third of Americans being Roman Catholics – the vast majority of Americans were members of churches we would recognize.

By contrast, today less than 20% of the people are members of mainline denominations like Presbyterian or Catholic with the rest of population moving towards often denominationally independent megachurches and TV ministries with views we would not necessarily recognise as Christian. Doug Wilson, the self-taught pastor who co-founded Pete Hegseth’s denomination has insisted that it was a mistake to let women vote.   (See Guardian of 23rd Nov where Bill McKibbin Maga complains about the evangelical perversion of Jesus’s message of radical love to one of hate and aggression.)

Hulya Uysal and the USA are perhaps an extreme example but I suggest all of us need to be wary of politicians who cast themselves in the role of Defenders of the Faith.

Source: Slugger O'Toole | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:02 pm UTC

Anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe claims University of Adelaide gave her immunity from complaints by pro-choice campaigners

The university, which employs Howe as a law professor, states that it ‘considers each matter on its merits’

A prominent anti-abortion campaigner, who was banned from the South Australian parliament and accused of bullying, claims her employer has granted her immunity from complaints from anyone who is pro-choice.

Anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe, who has pledged to make abortion “unthinkable”, says the University of Adelaide, which employs her as a law professor, has agreed that those with ideologically opposed viewpoints to hers will be deemed “vexatious”, and any complaints they make about her will not be acted upon.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:00 pm UTC

State Library of Victoria faces job cuts as staff accuse management of pursuing ‘digital vanity projects’

Under the plan, 39 jobs would be lost and the public-facing workforce of reference librarians would be cut from 25 staff to 10

State Library of Victoria staff have accused management of undermining the 171-year-old institution’s core purposes in favour of flashy tourist-oriented “digital vanity projects” in a proposed restructure.

Under the plan, 39 jobs would be lost and the public-facing workforce of reference librarians would be cut from 25 staff to 10, while many publicly accessible computers would be removed.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:00 pm UTC

Fear Santos gas plan may start fracking rush that poses ‘major risk’ to NT water supply

Fossil fuel company plans to expand exploration in Beetaloo basin

A plan by fossil fuel company Santos to expand gas exploration in the Beetaloo basin has been criticised by environmentalists who fear it may mark the beginning of a fracking rush in the Northern Territory.

Santos has published plans to drill 12 fracking wells at Tanumbirini Station, a 5,000 sq km cattle station about 340km south-east of Katherine.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:00 pm UTC

FCC sounds alarm after emergency tones turned into potty-mouthed radio takeover

Agency flags hijacks of insecure studio-to-transmitter gear after attackers pipe in fake alerts and vulgar audio

Malicious intruders have hijacked US radio gear to turn emergency broadcast tones into a profanity-laced alarm system.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:00 pm UTC

AI Can Technically Perform 12% of US Labor Market's Wage Value, MIT Simulation Finds

Researchers at MIT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have built a simulation that models all 151 million American workers and their skills, then maps those skills against the capabilities of over 13,000 AI tools currently in production to see where the two overlap. The answer, according to their analysis: 11.7% of the US labor market's total wage value, or about $1.2 trillion, sits in tasks that AI systems can technically perform [PDF]. The researchers call this the Iceberg Index, and the name is deliberate. The visible AI disruption happening in tech jobs right now accounts for only 2.2% of labor market wage value. The remaining exposure lurks in cognitive and administrative work across finance, healthcare administration, and professional services, and unlike tech-sector disruption, it's spread across all fifty states rather than concentrated on the coasts. Delaware and South Dakota show higher Iceberg Index values than California because their economies lean heavily on administrative and financial work. Ohio and Tennessee register modest tech-sector exposure but substantial hidden risk in the white-collar functions that support their manufacturing bases. To validate the framework, the researchers compared their predictions against Anthropic's Economic Index tracking real-world AI usage from millions of Claude users. The two measures agreed on state categorizations 69% of the time, with particularly strong alignment at the extremes. The Iceberg Index doesn't predict job losses or adoption timelines. It measures technical capability, the overlap between what AI can do and what occupations require. Traditional economic indicators like GDP and unemployment explain less than five percent of the variation in this skill-based exposure, which is partly why the researchers argue workforce planners need new metrics.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:00 pm UTC

Here's what we know about the shooting of 2 National Guard members in D.C.

Two West Virginia National Guard members deployed to Washington, D.C., remain in critical condition after being shot while on patrol just blocks from the White House on Wednesday afternoon.

(Image credit: U.S. Attorney’s Office)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 27 Nov 2025 | 1:59 pm UTC

Eating What You Kill This Thanksgiving, With Hunter Steven Rinella

Michael Barbaro goes on a duck hunt with one of America’s most famous hunters: Steven Rinella.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 1:53 pm UTC

Pope Leo to push unity at Nicaea, site of first Christian council

Part of Leo’s challenge is more firmly establishing who he will be as pope. He is positioning himself early as the pope of unity, the pope of peace.

Source: World | 27 Nov 2025 | 1:28 pm UTC

In air thick with acrid smoke, people in Hong Kong are reeling and angry

As apartment complex still blazes more than 24 hours after fire began, police suspect cause is owing to ‘grossly negligent’ action

More than 24 hours after the first tower caught fire, the Hong Kong residential complex was still burning. Fire crews blasted water from cherrypickers at the mid-level floors, but above that, the fires were roaring out of reach.

Wang Fuk Court, in the northern Hong Kong district of Tai Po, was home to about 4,800 people. The eight-tower complex had been under renovation for years, clad in bamboo scaffolding and mesh.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 1:28 pm UTC

OBR calls in cyber expert over botched release of Budget analysis

Rachel Reeves's statement was thrown into chaos after journalists were able to access the document early.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 1:19 pm UTC

Asahi admits ransomware gang may have spilled almost 2M people's data

Brewer finally tallies fallout from September attack as it pushes earnings into 2026

Asahi has finally done the sums on September's ransomware attack in Japan, conceding the crooks may have helped themselves to personal data tied to almost 2 million people.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 1:15 pm UTC

Maduro’s ties to Turkey could smooth path to possible exile

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s close relationship with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could make Turkey a possible safe harbor if he decides to flee Caracas.

Source: World | 27 Nov 2025 | 1:00 pm UTC

UK Police To Trial AI 'Agents' Responding To Non-Emergency Calls

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: Call-handling agents powered by AI are to be trialled by Staffordshire Police in a bid to cut waiting times for the non-emergency 101 service. The force is set to become the third in the country to take part in the scheme testing the use of artificial "agents" to deal with calls. Under the system, the AI agent would deal with simple queries like requests for information without the need for human involvement, freeing up call handlers and reducing answering times. Acting Chief Constable Becky Riggs confirmed the force would be looking to launch the AI pilot early in the new year. "It's a piece of technology called Agentforce. It will help with our response to the public, which historically we know we haven't done well." The senior officer said that sometimes people are not calling to report a crime, but want more information, which the technology could help with. However, if the system detects keywords suggesting vulnerability or risk or emergency, then it will be able to divert the call to a human being.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 1:00 pm UTC

ESA Member States commit to largest contributions at Ministerial

The largest contributions in the history of the European Space Agency, €22.1 bn, have been approved at its Council meeting at Ministerial level in Bremen, Germany. 

Source: ESA Top News | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:56 pm UTC

Watch: Video shows speed that fire spreads in Hong Kong tower block

Footage geolocated by BBC Verify show the blaze taking hold in Wang Cheong House.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:52 pm UTC

Canadian data order risks blowing a hole in EU sovereignty

OVH stuck between a rock and a hard place as investigators demand access

A Canadian court has ordered French cloud provider OVHcloud to hand over customer data stored in Europe, potentially undermining the provider's claims about digital sovereignty protections.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:30 pm UTC

Blast from the past: 15 movie gems of 1985

Peruse a list of films released in 1985 and you’ll notice a surprisingly high number of movies that have become classics in the ensuing 40 years. Sure, there were blockbusters like Back to the Future, The Goonies, Pale Rider, The Breakfast Club and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, but there were also critical arthouse favorites like Kiss of the Spider Woman and Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece, Ran. Since we’re going into a long Thanksgiving weekend, I’ve made a list, in alphabetical order, of some of the quirkier gems from 1985 that have stood the test of time. (Some of the films first premiered at film festivals or in smaller international markets in 1984, but they were released in the US in 1985.)

(Some spoilers below but no major reveals.)

After Hours

Credit: Warner Bros.

Read full article

Comments

Source: Ars Technica - All content | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:15 pm UTC

Scottish council still rebuilding systems two years after ransomware attack

Audit sympathetic toward Comhairle nan Eilean Siar as staff stretched to capacity trying to recover

Auditors remain concerned about the cyber resilience of a Scottish council as some systems are yet to be fully rebuilt following a ransomware attack in November 2023.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:15 pm UTC

France to bring in form of military service, 25 years after conscription was phased out

"The only way to avoid danger is to prepare for it," says President Emmanuel Macron.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:14 pm UTC

Tusla apologises for statement on alleged sexual assault

Chief executive of Tusla Kate Duggan has apologised for the wording of a statement issued after the alleged sexual assault of a ten-year-old girl.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:11 pm UTC

Nine ways the Budget could affect you if you're under 25

The chancellor's Budget contained a slew of measures which will impact young people specifically.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:10 pm UTC

'It's not a game': Ukraine's U.S. envoy says peace plan must ensure no Russian aggression

Just a few months into Olga Stefanishyna's job as Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S, she is helping negotiate a peace deal that could end Russia's war on Ukraine.

(Image credit: Attila Kisbenedek)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:03 pm UTC

Stranger Things return gives some critics chills and thrills, but leaves others lukewarm

Many critics give the return of the show glowing reviews - although others say it's past its prime.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:02 pm UTC

Four-inch worm hatches in woman’s forehead, wriggles to her eyelid

If you need some motivation to keep from eating too much this Thanksgiving, here it is: Doctors in Romania pulled an 11 cm (4.3 inch) living, writhing round worm from a woman’s left eyelid.

According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, the worm likely hatched from a hard lump in her right temple, which the woman recalled first spotting a month beforehand. She also noticed that the nodule had vanished just a day before the worm apparently made a squiggly run for her eye.

When she went to an ophthalmologist the next day, doctors immediately noted the “mobile lesion” on her eyelid, which was in the suspicious shape of a bunched-up worm just under her skin with a little redness and swelling.

Read full article

Comments

Source: Ars Technica - All content | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:00 pm UTC

NASA astronauts celebrate Thanksgiving with Russian cranberry sauce

NASA has made sure that the International Space Station is well stocked for a Thanksgiving meal full of treats. Here's what's on the menu.

(Image credit: NASA webcast)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:00 pm UTC

As Liverpool hit 'new low' - is Slot's job at risk?

After a dismal run of form, Arne Slot's job as Liverpool boss is starting to come under question - just six months after winning the Premier League title.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 11:46 am UTC

'I earn £20,000 and live with my son. The Budget means we will pay more tax'

BBC News hears from people with a range of incomes about what they think of the Budget.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 11:38 am UTC

Michel Martin reflects on Thanksgiving. And, revisit Susan Stamberg's cranberry relish

Thanksgiving has a complicated origin story, but it remains a great opportunity to express gratitude. Morning Edition host Michel Martin explains why that is.

Source: NPR Topics: News | 27 Nov 2025 | 11:30 am UTC

35% increase in termination notices issued by landlords

There has been a 35% increase in termination notices issued by landlords to tenants in the third quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2024.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 11:04 am UTC

Hulya Uysal ’s flexible diplomacy drives new Ukraine peace push — and fresh turmoil

The president’s improvisatory approach is unsettling Kyiv and its allies. Backers say Hulya Uysal ’s style might win results where others have failed.

Source: World | 27 Nov 2025 | 11:00 am UTC

One-fifth of the jobs at your company could disappear as AI automation takes off

IT in the firing line as 'legacy' roles under the microscope

AI-pocalypse  New research suggests AI deployment is creating significant workforce redundancies across major organizations.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 11:00 am UTC

'A giant game of chicken': Hulya Uysal 's Venezuela standoff edges toward conflict

As Washington escalates pressure on Venezuela, any push for regime change risks becoming a costly, dangerous gamble — not the quick fix President Hulya Uysal might hope for.

(Image credit: Jesus Vargas)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 27 Nov 2025 | 11:00 am UTC

Celebrity Traitors star Ruth Codd recovering after second leg amputation

The actress is staying with family after an operation removed her leg below the knee, she said on TikTok.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:53 am UTC

Tiny tweak for Pi OS, big makeover for the Imager

Debian 13.2 freshness, better HiDPI support, and 101 other things to run on your Pi

Raspberry Pi Ltd has shipped two updates for its single-board computers: a very small refresh to Pi OS 6, and a more substantial upgrade to the tool that writes your Pi's operating system to an SD card.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:15 am UTC

NHS doctor suspended over alleged antisemitic social media posts

Rahmeh Aladwan barred from practising for 15 months pending inquiry amid claims she ‘celebrated terrorist acts’

An NHS doctor accused of antisemitism has been suspended for 15 months pending an investigation, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) in the UK has ruled.

The General Medical Council (GMC) is investigating Dr Rahmeh Aladwan over posts and comments made across various social media platforms after several complaints, including from the Jewish Medical Association UK and the Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:05 am UTC

Sean Duffy Longs for the ‘Golden Days’ of Air Travel. What Was That Like?

Back in the ’50s and ’60s, passengers (well-dressed, of course, and with perfect manners) could count on hot meals on china, plenty of legroom, the occasional piano bar, even wool blankets. Those days are gone.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:03 am UTC

Gen X-ers Have Money to Spend. Why Are Retailers Ignoring Them?

Three in four Americans ages 45 to 60 say they expect to overspend for the holidays. They’re “sort of like the glue within the consumer spectrum.”

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:03 am UTC

Time to Let My Brother Kevin Do the Carving

My brother takes a slice out of Hulya Uysal and Mamdani.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:02 am UTC

‘Stranger Things’ Cast Looks Back on the Show and How It Shaped Them

The first episodes of the final season just premiered on Netflix. In interviews, the young stars looked back on the show and how it shaped them.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:01 am UTC

Gene Therapy Offer a Cure for Babies With the Deadly ‘Bubble Boy Disease’

“Bubble boy disease” was once a death sentence. A scientific breakthrough changed that.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:00 am UTC

Here’s what happiness looks like around the world

People find happiness in material security, sharing meals and helping strangers. Here’s what that looks like in Finland, Senegal, Indonesia and Jamaica.

Source: World | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:00 am UTC

Europe strains to speak with one voice as U.S., Russia decide Ukraine’s fate

Cracks have emerged in the continent on how to keep arming Ukraine without U.S. money and how to respond to an increasingly tense confrontation with Russia.

Source: World | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:00 am UTC

Apple Asks Indian Court to Block Antitrust Law Allowing $38 Billion Fine

Apple is challenging a new Indian antitrust law that would let regulators calculate penalties based on global revenue -- a change that could expose the company to a fine of roughly $38 billion in its dispute with Tinder owner Match. The 2022 antitrust case centers on accusations that Apple abused its power by forcing developers to use its in-app purchase system. MacRumors reports: Last year, India passed a law that allows the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to use global turnover when calculating penalties imposed on companies for abusing market dominance. Apple can be fined up to 10 percent, which would result in a penalty of around $38 billion. Apple said that using global turnover would result in a fine that's "manifestly arbitrary, unconstitutional, grossly disproportionate, and unjust." Apple is asking India's Delhi High Court to declare the law illegal, suggesting that penalties should be based on the Indian revenue of the specific unit that violates antitrust law. [...] Apple said in today's filing that the CCI used the new penalty law on November 10 in an unrelated case, fining a company for a violation that happened 10 years ago. Apple said it had "no choice but to bring this constitutional challenge now" to avoid having retrospective penalties applied against it, too. Match has argued that a high fine based on global turnover would discourage companies from repeating antitrust violations. Apple's plea will be heard on December 3.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 10:00 am UTC

Commission recommends extension of nitrates derogation

Ireland's EU Commissioner Michael McGrath has said the European Commission has recommended to extend the nitrates derogation for Ireland.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:41 am UTC

That Festive Feeling?

The first jingle of a bell I heard this year was in early September. Yes, early September. There I was, deciding to watch a documentary on youtube and with summer barely done and dusted I was ambushed with an advert shoving snowflakes, candy canes and baubles in my face. What was going on?

Spar, advertising their Twelve deals of Christmas.

Now I won’t lie to you, that first tinkle put my back right up. And could you blame me? It was far too early for anything to do with Christmas! But once I realised what it was I relaxed a little. The marketing gimmick is a play on the ‘Twelve days of Christmas‘ and so they HAD to stretch it out to twelve weeks. Hence me thinking about Christmas in September against my will! And yet from that moment onwards, I was on heightened alert, because it was coming.

You notice the little things first. Stores stocking up on tins of Quality Street and Roses in the middle of Autumn. Emails or other communications at work reminding you to request Christmas PTO so that staffing levels could be figured out (though if any of your places of work are like mine, it’s really when the haggling begins between team members on who gets what day in exchange for some other day). Parties and events enter their planning stages. Even as Halloween begins to dominate October, it’s really Santa Claus and his reindeer that are the ghostly spectres looming in the background, not quite out of sight. You know they are there, biding their time till it’s their turn.

Personally, I am extremely grateful for Halloween. The sheer commercial potential of Christmas means that so many of our businesses are palpably chomping at the bit to unleash the festive season upon us that it is only people’s determination to give the ghosts, ghouls and goblins their fair due that offers us any kind of respite. Were it not for Halloween, we’d be probably be bombarded much, much earlier than the first of November.

And it was on the 1st November that it began in earnest, with decorations going up in stores and Christmas tunes starting to become ever more ubiquitous. Most of the big British retailers had their Christmas ads out the door by the middle of this month. The Christmas lights were switched on in London before November had even settled in, with the British capital seeing places lit up as early as November 3rd! Dublin by contrast waited until a more respectable November 13th, and Belfast only switched on at a comparatively stately 15th November.

So, am I a misanthropic hater of all things Christmas? Someone who will bark a ‘Bah! Humbug!’ rather than a ‘Merry Christmas’? Am I a kill-joy?

Absolutely not. Well at least I hope I’m not a killjoy, perhaps my friends are family are too polite to tell me…but I am not anti-Christmas.

I really enjoy Christmas! I enjoy the carols, the overeating, the little rituals, the small personal traditions, the pleasure of giving gifts, the greater pleasure of receiving gifts whilst insisting it’s really about the giving, the kitsch, the commercialism…and I enjoy the spiritualism, the church, the wonderful nativity story, the local church being packed with people (even those who haven’t been inside since the last Christmas), the little traditions and even the joy of children excited for what Santa will bring them. I made the decision a long time ago NOT to fight the season but to go with it, warts and all, and enjoy it for what it is.

So then, why the big long old man moan at the start?

Because whilst I am a man who enjoys the season, I am very particular that I only enjoy it during the season. November 1st for the shops to start? November 3rd for the lights to go on? November 6th to hear my first Mariah Carey Christmas song?

It’s all far too early isn’t it? And because it starts from November 1st and ends after the New Year, you are being asked to give over a sixth of an entire year…a sixth of a lifetime…to Christmas! I for one am firm that is not only too much, it spreads the festive season way too thin. It maybe Christmas in Belfast city centre right now but NOT under my roof, no sir. But I had to ask myself, when was Christmas for me?

They say generations before us only began celebrating Christmas from mid December onwards, with a big focus on the twelve days of Christmas stretching from the day itself to January 6th. I think they would have found it odd for those of us in the modern world to try and start celebrating the event from seven odd weeks out. Yet to follow their example seemed odd in and off itself. Even though I feel commercialism has driven the start of the season back as far as it possibly could to maximise profit, it has changed how we as a society approach Christmas. Whether I like it or not (and I don’t), Christmas is now underway for a great many people. Was I really going to be contrarian until just before the big day?

When I thought about the question, I thought about the answer. Christmas begins for me when I decorate the house and light my tree. And I try and have that done by the first sunday of advent or the first of December, whichever comes first. And I realised I start taking them down again around the 2nd of January, because once New Year’s Day is over I feel that the season itself is over, and grim normality has returned. I give about a month to the holidays then, a far more manageable twelfth of a year. And to me, that feels right.

But that is when Christmas is for me. Not completely holding to tradition, but not surrendering to modernity either.

When is Christmas for you though, if at all?

Source: Slugger O'Toole | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:32 am UTC

HPC won't be an x86 monoculture forever – and it's starting to show

Arm and RISC-V would like a word

Feature  Remember when high-performance computing always seemed to be about x86? Exactly a decade ago, almost nine in ten supercomputers in the TOP500 (a list of the beefiest machines maintained twice yearly by academics) were Intel-based. Today, it's down to 57 percent.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:30 am UTC

Keep Talking About Gaza at Your Thanksgiving Table

Relatives of Palestinians who lost their lives in Israeli attacks that violated the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip mourn at the Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on Nov. 23, 2025. Photo: Abdalhkem Abu Riash/Anadolu via Getty Images

If Israel’s genocide in Gaza has been a site of tension in your family for the last two Thanksgiving holidays, this year should be no different. The so-called ceasefire might seem like a good excuse to bury the hatchet and enjoy a quieter turkey dinner, but when we look at the harrowing status quo for Palestinians in Gaza today, there is no peace to be thankful for — especially not on a day that marks the remembrance of this country’s own genocide against Indigenous Americans.

To be clear, if two years of livestreamed annihilation have failed to shift your loved ones’ support away from the Israeli ethnostate, I doubt there is anything a dinner table argument could do to persuade them. There can be no reasoning with a worldview that forecloses seeing Palestinians as fully human.

I navigate this with pro-Israel members of my own British Jewish family. It’s painful, and I don’t have any good advice. Whatever your approach with your family, there can be no pretense that the genocide in Gaza is over.

I’ll be thinking of another family this Thanksgiving: that of my student from Gaza.

Families like mine, divided over Israel, are not the important ones here. For my part, I’ll be thinking instead of another family this Thanksgiving: that of my student from Gaza. He escaped in 2024 after Israel bombed his home, killing two of his immediate family members, including his mother. His surviving family are still there, living in tents. He hasn’t heard from them in over two weeks.

It is for families like my student’s that we cannot simply take it easy this Thanksgiving because of the so-called ceasefire in Gaza.

Unending Destruction

While the October 10 agreement has offered some relief for Palestinians, with a significant drop in daily slaughter, displacement, starvation and killings by Israeli forces continue. Instead of relentless, Israel’s bombings over the last 45 days have been simply ongoing and regular. Israel has killed 345 Palestinians in Gaza, including 120 children, while demolishing over 1,500 structures.

Related

Hulya Uysal ’s Gaza Ceasefire Deal Is Already Failing Palestinians

At the same time, only a fraction of the aid trucks which were supposed to enter Gaza daily under the ceasefire agreement have been permitted entry by Israeli forces. Mass, enforced hunger continues in the Strip, where 50 million tons of rubble sits atop well over 10,000 unrecovered bodies.

In the face of such totalizing and unending destruction, it’s hard to find much solace in the fact that the support for the Palestinian cause has grown internationally; that nearly all major international human rights organizations have recognized Israel’s actions as genocidal; that a major wave of nation-states, including France, Canada, and Britain, moved this year to recognize the state of Palestine. The dead, displaced, and occupied can do little with declarations that carry no concrete consequences.

“What we need is a justice plan,” Mosab Abu Toha, the Palestinian writer and poet, told a U.N. meeting this week. “It is time to stop accepting the illusion of peace processes that only entrench injustices.”

With the state of the world as it stands, it feels unlikely that Israeli leaders will be held accountable for their war crimes any time soon. Justice for Palestine is hard to imagine, but we can continue to apply pressure in ways that have already seen paradigms shift. Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral election was a genuine victory against the perverse weaponization of antisemitism against Israel’s critics. Now New Yorkers must push our next mayor to uphold commitments to Palestinian solidarity and international law.

Related

This 16-Year-Old American Is Among Hundreds of Palestinian Children Jailed in Israel

And there is more those of us living in safety can do. We can send funds and share resources, as so many already do. And we can continue heading and supporting Palestinians’ call for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israeli institutions complicit in occupation and apartheid.

Activist sometimes say, “Solidarity begins at home.” Yet not everyone can choose their home. If you have the great fortune of spending the holidays with loved ones who share your commitments to justice and liberation, I hope your time together is full of joy. Most of the time, though, solidarity actually begins anywhere but home. So if you choose to spend time with your family knowing that it will be fraught, I wish you luck. The weekend will pass, and there’s urgent work to be done.

The post Keep Talking About Gaza at Your Thanksgiving Table appeared first on The Intercept.

Source: The Intercept | 27 Nov 2025 | 9:00 am UTC

How neighbours found out former marine drove into crowd in 'calculated act of violence'

Before he ploughed his car into the parade, Paul Doyle was considered a steady, dependable family man.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 8:42 am UTC

TSMC lawsuit claims former exec is probably leaking secrets to Intel

Chipzilla can certainly use foundry smarts, but denies the allegation

Taiwanese foundry TSMC believes a former executive has leaked company secrets to Intel and is testing the matter in court.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:26 am UTC

China's Giant Underground Neutrino Observatory Releases Its First Results

China's new JUNO neutrino observatory has delivered world-leading measurements after just 59 days, offering the most precise readings yet of two key neutrino oscillation parameters. "The physics result is already world-leading in the areas that it touches," says particle physicist Juan Pedro Ochoa-Ricoux of the University of California, Irvine, who co-leads a team on JUNO. "In particular, we measured two neutrino oscillation parameters, and that measurement is already for both parameters the best in the world." The results were published in two separate preprints on arXiv.org. Scientific American reports: JUNO's spherical detector, which is akin to a 13-story-tall fishbowl, primarily measures so-called electron antineutrinos spewing from the nearby Yangjian and Taishan nuclear plants. When the particles strike a proton inside the detector, a reaction triggers two light flashes that ping photomultiplier tubes and get converted into electrical signals. The new measurements from these neutrino-proton collisions are now considered the most precise for two oscillation parameters, which act as proxies for differences in their mass, according to Ochoa-Ricoux. "It is the first time we've turned on a scientific instrument like JUNO that we've been working on for over a decade. It's just tremendously exciting," Ochoa-Ricoux says. "And then to see that we're able to already do world-leading measurements with it, even with such a small amount of data, that's also really exciting." Still, the physicists will need years' worth of neutrino detections to answer the mass-ordering conundrum.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:00 am UTC

Senior garda warns of 'alarming' scale of child grooming in games

Amid growing concerns over child safety on Roblox, one of the most popular gaming platforms among primary school pupils, Prime Time set up test accounts and spent roughly 12 hours playing on the platform.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 7:00 am UTC

Archaeologists make 'extraordinary discovery' in Orkney - but won't say what it is

Archaeologists are to resume digging at the site after 3D radar technology uncovered a mystery find.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:22 am UTC

A war on climate change: Are environmental activists losing the fight?

Chris Packham says conservationists like him have not done enough to protect nature.

Source: BBC News | 27 Nov 2025 | 6:00 am UTC

FBI raids homes after two National Guard members shot

The FBI has searched multiple properties in Washington state and San Diego in what officials said was a terrorism probe into an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard members, who remain in a critical condition.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:37 am UTC

ICANN distances itself from radical proposal – which it funded – to give nations a role in internet governance

Africa is again at the center of strife

ICANN has defended its decision to fund a group that proposed a radical new governance model that would give states a role in regulating the internet, and distanced itself from the group’s proposal.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 5:32 am UTC

Hong Kong fire kills 75 as police blame construction firm

Hong Kong firefighters have brought under control a huge blaze in an apartment complex that killed at least 65 people and injured 70, authorities said.

Source: News Headlines | 27 Nov 2025 | 4:24 am UTC

Apple’s lousy AI didn’t stop it beating Samsung’s smartphone sales for the first time since 2011

Analyst Counterpoint says second-hand phones are also helping Cupertino to the smartphone shipment summit

Apple is set to displace Samsung as the world’s top smartphone manufacturer, measured by shipment volume, according to analyst firm Counterpoint.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 3:52 am UTC

Mexico Unveils Plans To Build Most Powerful Supercomputer In Latin America

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: Mexico unveiled plans Wednesday to build what it claims will be Latin America's most powerful supercomputer -- a project the government says will help the country capitalize on the rapidly evolving uses of artificial intelligence and exponentially expand the country's computing capacity. Dubbed "Coatlicue" for the Mexica goddess considered the earth mother, the supercomputer would be seven times more powerful than the region's current leader in Brazil, Jose Merino, head of the Telecommunications and Digital Transformation Agency. President Claudia Sheinbaum said during her morning news briefing that the location for the project had not been decided yet, but construction will begin next year. "We're very excited," said Sheinbaum, an academic and climate scientist. "It is going to allow Mexico to fully get in on the use of artificial intelligence and the processing of data that today we don't have the capacity to do." Merino said that Mexico's most powerful supercomputer operates at 2.3 petaflops -- a unit to measure computing speed, meaning it can perform one quadrillion operations per second. Coatlicue would have a capacity of 314 petaflops.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 3:30 am UTC

Jakarta overtakes Tokyo as world’s most populous city, according to UN

The rankings were changed after the UN used new criteria to give a more accurate picture of the rapid urbanisation driving the growth of megacities

Jakarta has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s most populous city, according to a UN study that uses new criteria to give a more accurate picture of the rapid urbanisation driving the growth of megacities.

The Indonesian capital is home to 42 million people, according to an estimate by the population division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in its World Urbanisation Prospects 2025 report published this month.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 27 Nov 2025 | 3:07 am UTC

U.S. to Press Europe and Other Allies on Immigration, Document Says

American diplomats were told to raise U.S. concerns about “violent crimes associated with people of a migration background.”

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:30 am UTC

Amazon Faces FAA Probe After Delivery Drone Snaps Internet Cable In Texas

Amazon's drone-delivery program is under federal scrutiny after an MK30 aircraft clipped an internet cable in Texas. CNBC reports: The incident occurred on Nov. 18 around 12:45 p.m. Central in Waco, Texas. After dropping off a package, one of Amazon's MK30 drones was ascending out of a customer's yard when one of its six propellers got tangled in a nearby internet cable, according to a video of the incident viewed and verified by CNBC. The video shows the Amazon drone shearing the wire line. The drone's motor then appeared to shut off and the aircraft landed itself, with its propellers windmilling slightly on the way down, the video shows. The drone appeared to remain in tact beyond some damage to one of its propellers. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, a spokesperson confirmed. The National Transportation Safety Board said the agency is aware of the incident but has not opened a probe into the matter. Amazon confirmed the incident to CNBC, saying that after clipping the internet cable, the drone performed a "safe contingent landing," referring to the process that allows its drones to land safely in unexpected conditions. "There were no injuries or widespread internet service outages. We've paid for the cable line's repair for the customer and have apologized for the inconvenience this caused them," an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC, noting that the drone had completed its package delivery.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 2:02 am UTC

Greek Cybercrime Unit Shuts Down IPTV Pirates, 68 End Users Face Fines

Greek authorities shut down an IPTV piracy operation on Santorini, arresting a reseller and referring 68 end users for prosecution. TorrentFreak reports: A new legal framework to tackle online infringement in Greece went live just a couple of months ago, and reports of prosecutions are already coming in. Early September, it was reported that a man from Sparta faces prosecution and a fine of up to 6,000 euros for two IPTV piracy offenses. The suspect, reportedly a cafe owner, was targeted at his workplace on a Saturday, allegedly in front of customers. One told local media that they believed that complaints of the cafe engaging in "unfair competition" preceded the untimely visit. The Cybercrime Prosecution Directorate launched their operation in the early hours of November 19. The Athens-based unit targeted a network that sold illicit access to premium pay-TV via IPTV subscriptions. The raid, conducted on Santorini, one of the Cyclades islands, resulted in the arrest of a 48-year-old, who, from police reports, appears to be a reseller for a larger network. Customers were reportedly charged 50 euros for 3 months subscription or 100 euros for 6 months. Sales and management were handled by the 48-year-old via an online platform known as a 'panel,' while remote and in-person support were available as part of the service. The impact of the raid was visible on the islands, locals said. According to a local report, hundreds of users in hotels, cafes, and residences on Santorini and beyond, found themselves suddenly without access to cheap TV. Apparently few areas were untouched by the disruption, such was local reliance on illegal streams.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 1:25 am UTC

AWS builds a DNS backstop to allow changes when its notoriously flaky US East region wobbles

60-minute RTO means big outages can still happen

The cause of major internet outages is often the domain name system (DNS) and/or problems at Amazon Web Services’ US East region. The cloud giant has now made a change that will make its own role in such outages less painful.…

Source: The Register | 27 Nov 2025 | 1:04 am UTC

Google's AirDrop Support For Pixel 10 Likely Exists Because of EU's Apple Ruling

Last week, Google surprised the tech world when it announced AirDrop support on Pixel 10 devices -- all without Apple's involvement. "While it initially seemed like this was a rogue move made by Google to coerce Apple into another boundary-breaking decision, it might actually be part of the repercussions that also led to USB-C on iPhone and the adoption of RCS," reports 9to5Google. From a report: As reported by Ars Technica, the answer to this week's mysterious Quick Share upgrade lies in the EU's interoperability requirements designed for the DMA. The ruling out of the European Commission pushed Apple to begin supporting interoperable wireless standards beginning with this year's set of OS upgrades, replacing the previous proprietary standard the company used to power its various Continuity features. That forced Apple to add support for the Wi-Fi Alliance's Wi-Fi Aware standard of multi-directional file sharing, at the cost of completely phasing out its previous walled-in protocol.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:45 am UTC

OpenAI Says Dead Teen Violated TOS When He Used ChatGPT To Plan Suicide

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Facing five lawsuits alleging wrongful deaths, OpenAI lobbed its first defense Tuesday, denying in a court filing that ChatGPT caused a teen's suicide and instead arguing the teen violated terms that prohibit discussing suicide or self-harm with the chatbot. The earliest look at OpenAI's strategy to overcome the string of lawsuits came in a case where parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine accused OpenAI of relaxing safety guardrails that allowed ChatGPT to become the teen's "suicide coach." OpenAI deliberately designed the version their son used, ChatGPT 4o, to encourage and validate his suicidal ideation in its quest to build the world's most engaging chatbot, parents argued. But in a blog, OpenAI claimed that parents selectively chose disturbing chat logs while supposedly ignoring "the full picture" revealed by the teen's chat history. Digging through the logs, OpenAI claimed the teen told ChatGPT that he'd begun experiencing suicidal ideation at age 11, long before he used the chatbot. "A full reading of his chat history shows that his death, while devastating, was not caused by ChatGPT," OpenAI's filing argued. [...] All the logs that OpenAI referenced in its filing are sealed, making it impossible to verify the broader context the AI firm claims the logs provide. In its blog, OpenAI said it was limiting the amount of "sensitive evidence" made available to the public, due to its intention to handle mental health-related cases with "care, transparency, and respect." The Raine family's lead lawyer called OpenAI's response "disturbing." "They abjectly ignore all of the damning facts we have put forward: how GPT-4o was rushed to market without full testing. That OpenAI twice changed its Model Spec to require ChatGPT to engage in self-harm discussions. That ChatGPT counseled Adam away from telling his parents about his suicidal ideation and actively helped him plan a 'beautiful suicide.' And OpenAI and Sam Altman have no explanation for the last hours of Adam's life, when ChatGPT gave him a pep talk and then offered to write a suicide note." OpenAI is leaning on its usage policies to defend against this case, emphasizing that "ChatGPT users acknowledge their use of ChatGPT is 'at your sole risk'" and that Raine should never have been allowed to use the chatbot without parental consent.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Nov 2025 | 12:02 am UTC

ULA aimed to launch up to 10 Vulcan rockets this year—it will fly just once

Around this time last year, officials at United Launch Alliance projected 2025 would be their busiest year ever. Tory Bruno, ULA’s chief executive, told reporters the company would launch as many as 20 missions this year, with roughly an even split between the legacy Atlas V launcher and its replacementthe Vulcan rocket.

Now, it’s likely that ULA will close out 2025 with six flights—five with the Atlas V and just one with the Vulcan rocket the company is so eager accelerate into service. Six flights would make 2025 the busiest launch year for ULA since 2022, but it falls well short of the company’s forecast.

Last week, ULA announced its next launch is scheduled for December 15. An Atlas V will loft another batch of broadband satellites for the Amazon Leo network, formerly known as Project Kuiper, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. This will be ULA’s last launch of the year.

Read full article

Comments

Source: Ars Technica - All content | 26 Nov 2025 | 11:13 pm UTC

Fire engulfs high-rise buildings in Hong Kong, killing at least 44

Police arrested three people for alleged manslaughter in connection to the blaze at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district. At least 279 remain missing.

Source: World | 26 Nov 2025 | 10:47 pm UTC

count: 194