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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)— A former US lawmaker who was Donald Trump’s first pick to run the Justice Department regularly paid for lurid sex sessions at drug-fuelled parties, including with a 17-year-old school girl, according to a scathing congressional report released Monday. Matt Gaetz also regularly used cocaine and ecstasy, and bought marijuana from his Capitol Hill office, said the 37-page document, the culmination of a long-running probe by the House Ethics Committee. “The committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” panel investigators wrote. Gaetz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing — pointing to the Justice Department’s decision not to bring charges against him in 2023 after a criminal probe — and the report came out as his lawsuit to block its release was denied. Congressional investigators found that the 42-year-old Republican broke multiple Florida laws on sexual misconduct, although they cleared him of federal sex trafficking violations. The report listed payments by Gaetz totalling more than US$90,000 to 12 women “likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use” between 2017 and 2020. They focused on a 2018 trip to the Bahamas during which Gaetz is alleged to have had sex with four women and to have taken party drug ecstasy, a Schedule I substance in the same legal category as heroin. The ex-congressman is an incendiary figure with few friends on Capitol Hill, but was a staunch Trump loyalist and a favorite of the president-elect’s ardent supporters. Tech billionaire Elon Musk — who is Trump’s incoming “efficiency czar” but has inserted himself into all manner of decision-making in the presidential transition process and in congressional politics — lauded Gaetz as America’s “Hammer of Justice” when he was nominated. “Matt Gaetz has 3 critical assets that are needed for the AG role: a big brain, a spine of steel and an axe to grind,” Musk posted on his social media platform, X. “He is the Judge Dredd America needs to clean up a corrupt system and put powerful bad actors in prison.” Gaetz resigned from Congress in November after Trump nominated him for US attorney general — but that was after he had just been reelected for the session beginning in January and there is nothing to stop him taking up his seat. The allegations against Gaetz had been openly discussed for years before he was tapped by Trump, and he withdrew from consideration when it became clear he lacked the backing from Republicans to win Senate confirmation. Gaetz posted a series of tweets refuting some of the report’s allegations, including that he paid for sex. “Giving funds to someone you are dating — that they didn’t ask for — and that isn’t ‘charged’ for sex is now prostitution?!?” he posted on X. “There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses.” Women told congressional investigators they were paid for sex at parties and other events by Gaetz and his friend Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector in Florida who was jailed for 11 years. One encounter allegedly involved a 17-year-old, who told the committee she had sex with Gaetz twice at a July 2017 party. “Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school,” the report says. All the women who testified said the sexual encounters with Gaetz were consensual. Gaetz denied having sex with a minor in written responses to the committee.Young men swung to the right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals
Pat King found guilty of mischief for role in ‘Freedom Convoy’Gus Malzahn is leaving his post as UCF's head coach to reunite with Florida State coach Mike Norvell as the Seminoles' offensive coordinator, ESPN reported on Saturday. Norvell, who served as a graduate assistant under Malzahn at Tulsa in 2007-08, relinquished his role as FSU's primary playcaller amid a staff shakeup this season. Florida State, 1-7 in the Athletic Coast Conference this season, entered Saturday's season finale against Florida at 2-9 and ranked No. 131 in the nation in total offense. UCF also endured a tough 2024 season, going 4-8 after losing eight of its last nine games. During Malzahn's four-year tenure, the Knights went 28-24, including 5-13 in the Big 12 Conference the last two seasons. Malzahn, 59, is 105-62 in 13 seasons as a college head coach, highlighted by a 68-35 mark in eight seasons at Auburn -- which included a BCS title game appearance in 2013. He served as offensive coordinator and playcaller when the Tigers won the national title in 2010. Malzahn will be tasked with revitalizing a Florida State offense that helped produce a 13-1 campaign in 2023, when the Seminoles were denied a spot in the College Football Playoff. Over the last three seasons at UCF, his rushing attack has been in the Top 10 in the nation. In his 19 seasons as a college head coach or offensive coordinator, Malzahn's teams have averaged 447.7 yards per game, and three of his teams eclipsed 7,000 yards in a season. --Field Level Media
There’s a follow-up to a breach previously reported on DataBreaches . From the NYS Attorney General’s Office today: NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today secured $500,000 from auto insurance company, Noblr , for failing to protect the personal information of more than 80,000 New Yorkers as part of a data breach. The data breach was part of an industry-wide campaign by scammers to steal consumers’ personal information, including driver’s license numbers and dates of birth, from online automobile insurance quoting applications. The scammers then used some of the stolen driver’s license information to file fraudulent unemployment claims at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to Noblr, Attorney General James also held GEICO and Travelers accountable for failing to protect New Yorkers’ personal information, bringing the total amount secured from auto insurance companies for cybersecurity failures to $5.6 million. “Auto insurance companies offer drivers protection during emergencies, but they must also protect their personal information from hackers and scammers,” said Attorney General James . “Noblr failed to secure its data systems making it easy for scammers to steal New Yorkers’ information and use some of the stolen information to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits. Today we are holding Noblr accountable for being reckless with New Yorkers’ personal data and reminding all companies that they must prioritize cybersecurity.” Noblris an insurance company that allows consumers to obtain a price quote through an online insurance quoting tool. Noblr’s quoting tool exposed full, plaintext driver’s license numbers in a number of ways, including on the backend of its website and in PDFs generated when a purchase was made. Noblr also did not block users from entering the personal information of New York residents, even though Noblr does not offer insurance products in New York. Noblr discovered scammers exploiting the prefill vulnerability in January 2021. Noblr did not monitor its site traffic in real time causing delays in detecting the attack. This failure to monitor site traffic also made it difficult to distinguish malicious activity from legitimate consumer inquiries. The attack on Noblr’s auto-quoting tool exposed the data of approximately 80,000 New York residents. The Office of the Attorney General’s investigation determined that the insurance company failed to adopt reasonable safeguards to protect private information. In addition to paying $500,000 in penalties, Noblr is required to enhance its data security, including by: Attorney General James has taken several actions to hold companies accountable for having poor cybersecurity and to improve data security practices. Last month, Attorney General James and DFS Superintendent Adrienne Harris secured $11.3 million from GEICO and Travelers for having poor data security . In October 2024, Attorney General James secured $2.25 million from a Capital Region health care provider for failing to protect the private information and medical data of New Yorkers. In August 2024, Attorney General James and a multistate coalition secured $4.5 from a biotech company for failing to protect patient data. In July, Attorney General James launched two privacy guides, a Business Guide to Website Privacy Controls and a Consumer Guide to Tracking on the Web , to help businesses and consumers protect themselves. In July, Attorney General James also issued a consumer alert to raise awareness about free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services available for millions of consumers impacted by the Change Healthcare data breach. In April 2023, Attorney General James released a comprehensive data security guide to help companies strengthen their data security practices. In January 2022, Attorney General James released a business guide for credential stuffing attacks that detailed how businesses could protect themselves and consumers. This matter was led by Assistant Attorneys General Gena Feist and Laura Mumm, and former Assistant Attorneys General Hanna Baek and Ezra Sternstein, Data Security Analyst Nishaant Goswamy, and former Internet and Technology Analyst Joe Graham, under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Clark Russell and Bureau Chief Kim Berger of the Bureau of Internet and Technology. Data analysis was provided by Data Analyst Casey Marescot and Data Scientist Blythe Davis, under the supervision of Deputy Director Gautam Sisodia, Director Victoria Khan, former Director Megan Thorsfeldt, and former Director Jonathan Werberg of the Research and Analytics Department. The Bureau of Internet and Technology is a part of the Division for Economic Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Chris D’Angelo and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy. Source: NYS Attorney General Letitia JamesBrazilian police formally accused Bolsonaro of an attempted coup. What comes next?Trump's TikTok love raises stakes in battle over app's fate
Guardiola denies rift with De Bruyne during Man City's dramatic slump
This video may be the most memorable moment ever at a drive-thru in Alberta! Meet Magnum, the sweet-toothed steer who pulled into one Tim Hortons drive-thru Saturday morning in Sylvan Lake in central Alberta to pick up his favourite Timbits. Kelly Landry is originally from Quebec. She moved to Alberta last April. She tells CityNews she’s been riding the eight-year-old steer since he was 10-months-old. “I just strap and go. When I know there’s something that could be dangerous I just talk and prepare myself and try to just distract him,” she explained. Landry says she used to take Magnum on adventures to local businesses and drive-thru’s when she lived in Quebec, and she’ll continue to do the same now in Alberta. “I just rode him two times in town. He’s been here since the end of October. I can take him to the grocery. I’ll try to go to the beach.” And whether Magnum is a local celebrity, she says, “I think he will.” The video of Magnum at Tim Hortons is going viral on social media. Landry says the reactions she received online and from locals were priceless. “Many were surprised and took pictures of him. Sometimes I let people go on him, more kids.”By CHRISTINE BRUNKHORST The Minnesota Star Tribune Anita Felicelli’s stories are masterfully unsettling. Combine your most eerie déjà vu moment with your most vividly prophetic dream and you have the tone of the 14 futuristic tales in “How We Know Our Time Travelers.” This is the new science fiction. Not so much Isaac Asimov’s techy gadgetry or Ursula K. Le Guin’s moral conundrums, Felicelli’s vignettes explore a world where time and consciousness — the last unexplored frontiers — have been conquered. The stories are set in the Bay Area in the near future. The government is an unreliable entity, politics have fallen apart and we’ve “rocketed past the point of stopping the death of the planet.” It is a time of drought, wildfires, hurricanes, cult movements, senescent robots, fringe theories and time travel. But, amidst these existential challenges, the need for love and connection remains. In the first story, “Until the Seas Rise,” a young woman who keeps herself financially afloat by volunteering for pain studies is robbed on the beach on the night of a tsunami. As the wave crests, she reflects on what seems the essential question of the book, “Why can we never control pain? Why are we always controlled by absence? It’s nearly incomprehensible, this ever-present incinerating desire for what’s not there.” Loss permeates these stories, as do technologies invented to allay it. In “Assembly Line,” an art teacher with a curiously mechanical thought process wonders what her student-turned-boyfriend works on in the “forbidden” rooms of his apartment. In “The Glitch,” rogue holograms assail the coder who created them. In “Keeping Score,” a couple downloads an app only to find that the constant tallying of who does what for whom is destroying their relationship. And then there are Felicelli’s stories about time. In “Steam Tunnels,” a ragtag group of disaffected female college students is chased by a menacing figure in the sewer system beneath the University of California, Berkeley. When they emerge, the campus has become a ghost town, their clothes are tattered and worn and their hair has turned white. In “The Encroachment of Waking Life,” a woman mistakenly boards a time-travel flight from Barcelona to San Francisco and visits not her boyfriend of the moment but her boyfriend of 20 years in the future. Women narrate most of the stories, which seems particularly poignant in a world where tech bros dominate the microphones. In one tale, a female potter throws all her clay into the creation of a real boy. In another, a friendless scammer and swindler of wealthy men wonders if a band of anarchic, menacing “fog catchers” exists only in her mind. In another, an elderly mother with dementia struggles to maintain dignity in a world that has discarded her. I thoroughly enjoyed the mind-bending perspective of these stories, especially the final pair: one a personification of illness that will blow your mind and make you weep, and one an epistolary tale with letters between a scientist consumed by creative mania and her loyal, half-believing friend. Author of novel “Chimerica” and short story collection “Love Songs for a Lost Continent,” Felicelli is a writer to watch.
CULLOWHEE, N.C. (AP) — Bernard Pelote had 24 points in Western Carolina's 78-69 victory over Milligan on Thursday. Pelote added nine rebounds for the Catamounts (4-7). Cord Stansberry scored 14 points and added seven rebounds. Brandon Morgan shot 2 for 6 (1 for 4 from 3-point range) and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line to finish with 12 points. The Buffs were led in scoring by Elijah Bredwood, who finished with 23 points. McCaskill Rivers added 13 points for Milligan. Handje Tamba had 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Neha Madaan is a senior feature writer at The Times of India, Pune. She holds an M A degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from University of Pune. She covers tourism, heritage development and its conservation, apart from an array of subjects such as civic issues, environment, astronomy, civic school education as well as social issues concerning persons with disabilities. Her interests include metaphysical research and animal rights. Read More 10 street foods to enjoy in Jaipur Charming pictures of Daisy Shah Weekend Special: How to make Multigrain Thaalipeeth 10 signs your best friend is drifting apart Keerthy Suresh’s ethnic wear styles are perfectly tailored for wedding season 10 quotes about love and loss from famous books and classics Mark Twain's timeless quotes on love and life Uttarakhand: 8 most iconic temples in Devbhoomi How to grow Kiwi from seeds in the balcony garden
ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF coach Gus Malzahn is resigning after four seasons with the school. ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report the move, which will see Malzahn to leave to take the offensive coordinator job at Florida State. Malzahn previously worked with FSU coach Mike Norvell during their time at Tulsa under then-coach Todd Graham from 2007-08. The Knights ended a disappointing 4-8 season in which they lost eight of their last nine games, the longest losing streak since 2015. Malzahn, 59, was in the fourth year of a contract through 2028. His buyout, it is reported, would have been $13.75 million. He finished 27-25 at UCF but lost 16 of his last 22 games and was a dismal 4-14 in two seasons in the Big 12. After back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2021-22, the Knights went 6-7 in 2023 and 4-8 in 2024. This season started with high expectations as Malzahn made sweeping changes to the program. He retooled the strength and conditioning department and hired Ted Roof and Tim Harris Jr. as defensive and offensive coordinators, respectively. He also added nearly 50 new players to the roster, leaning heavily on the transfer market. UCF started by winning its first three games against New Hampshire, Sam Houston and a thrilling comeback at TCU, but offensive struggles saw the Knights tumble through a TBD-game losing streak to finish the season. Terry Mohajir hired Malzahn on Feb. 15, 2021, six days after he was hired to replace Danny White. The move came eight weeks after Malzahn had been fired at Auburn after eight seasons of coaching the Tigers. The two briefly worked together at Arkansas State in 2012 before Malzahn left for the Auburn job. “When he [Mohajir] offered the job, I was like, ‘I’m in.’ There wasn’t thinking about or talking about ...,” Malzahn said during his introductory press conference. “This will be one of the best programs in college football in a short time. This is a job that I plan on being here and building it.” UCF opened the 2021 season with non-conference wins over Boise State and Bethune-Cookman before traveling to Louisville on Sept. 17, where quarterback Dillon Gabriel suffered a fractured collarbone in the final minute of a 42-35 loss. Backup Mikey Keene would finish out the season as Gabriel announced his intention to transfer. The Knights would finish the season on the plus side by accepting a bid to join the Big 12 Conference in September and then by defeating Florida 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl. Malzahn struck transfer portal gold in the offseason when he signed former Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee. Plumlee, a two-sport star with the Rebels, helped guide UCF to the American Athletic Conference Championship in its final season. However, Plumlee’s injury forced the Knights to go with Keene and freshman Thomas Castellanos. The team finished with losses to Tulane in the conference championship and Duke in the Military Bowl. Plumlee would return in 2023 as UCF transitioned to the Big 12 but would go down with a knee injury in the final minute of the Knights’ 18-16 win at Boise State on Sept. 9. He would miss the next four games as backup Timmy McClain took over the team. Even on his return, Plumlee couldn’t help UCF, on a five-game losing streak to open conference play. The Knights got their first Big 12 win at Cincinnati on Nov. 4 and upset No. 15 Oklahoma State the following week, but the team still needed a win over Houston in the regular-season finale to secure a bowl bid for the eighth straight season. From the moment Malzahn stepped on campus, he prioritized recruiting, particularly in Central Florida. “We’re going to recruit like our hair’s on fire,” Malzahn said at the time. “We’re going to go after the best players in America and we’re not backing down to anybody.” From 2007 to 2020, UCF signed 10 four-star high school and junior college prospects. Eight four-star prospects were in the three recruiting classes signed under Malzahn. The 2024 recruiting class earned a composite ranking of 39 from 247Sports, the highest-ranked class in school history. The 2025 recruiting class is ranked No. 41 and has commitments from three four-star prospects. Malzahn has always leaned on the transfer market, signing 60 players over the past three seasons. Some have paid huge dividends, such as Javon Baker, Lee Hunter, Kobe Hudson, Tylan Grable, Bula Schmidt, Amari Kight, Marcellus Marshall, Trent Whittemore, Gage King, Ethan Barr, Deshawn Pace and Plumlee. Others haven’t been as successful, such as quarterback KJ Jefferson, who started the first five games of this season before being benched for poor performance. Jefferson’s struggles forced the Knights to play musical chairs at quarterback, with true freshman EJ Colson, redshirt sophomore Jacurri Brown and redshirt freshman Dylan Rizk all seeing action at one point or another this season. This season’s struggles led to several players utilizing the NCAA’s redshirt rule after four games, including starting slot receiver Xavier Townsend and kicker Colton Boomer, who have also entered the transfer portal. Defensive end Kaven Call posted a letter to Malzahn on Twitter in which he accused the UCF coaching staff of recently kicking him off the team when he requested to be redshirted. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Seahawks safety Coby Bryant said earlier this week he had his “fingers crossed" that he might avoid punishment from the NFL for his celebration following a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown last Sunday that keyed Seattle’s 16-6 win over Arizona. It wasn’t to be as the NFL revealed Saturday that Bryant was indeed fined $6,594 for what was termed unsportsmanlike conduct for “obscene gestures” for his backward dive into the end zone accompanied by a little, uh, extracurricular activity that paid homage to former Seahawk Marshawn Lynch’s trademark move. There were no other fines levied from the game. In getting fined Bryant also found paid a small tribute to Lynch — Lynch was fined $11,050 following his dive-and-grab celebrating his “Beast Quake II’’ run against Arizona in 2014. Bryant also got better news from the league earlier in the week when he was named as the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week. Bryant joked after the game that maybe Lynch would help him pay his fine. Ultimately, the Seahawks will likely consider it a small price to pay for what a play that may turn out to be as pivotal of the season. The play came on a fourth down with Arizona threatening to cut into Seattle’s 7-3 lead midway through the third quarter. The TD made it 13-3 and gave the Seahawks the breathing room they needed to win the game and move into a tie for first place with the Cardinals. Fine amounts are determined via a formula agreed to jointly by the NFL and the NFLPA and affirmed in the bargaining agreement between the two. Fines for games the previous week are revealed every Saturday. The NFL explains the fines as necessary to enforce “the league’s and the union’s expectations for players to conduct themselves in a way that honors the sport and respects the game, themselves, their fellow players, the fans and the league. The rules are intended to protect the players from unnecessary risk, promote player safety and emphasize sportsmanship and respect of teammates, opponents, coaches, officials and fans.’’ As explained on the league’s website, “fines collected are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation to support Legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game.’’
Trump nominates Marty Makary, a critic of some COVID-19 health measures, to lead the FDASoftware exports from Ggn STPI much higher than Mohali & ShimlaStrictly's Shirley Ballas looks unrecognisable as she transforms into Miss Trunchbull for Musicals Week: 'Bravest judge outfit ever!' Have YOU got a story? Email tips@dailymail.com By SEAN O'GRADY Published: 20:08 GMT, 30 November 2024 | Updated: 20:09 GMT, 30 November 2024 e-mail 11 View comments Shirley Ballas left viewers' jaws on the floor as she transformed into Miss Trunchbull on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday. The usually glamorous head judge, 64, looked nearly unrecognisable as she came out dressed as the famous villain from Roald Dahl 's Matilda for Musicals Week. The dancer ditched her usual evening gowns for a khaki coat which she wore with a chunky brown belt and a white shirt. Most dramatically, Shirley's hair was styled into a high bun and spray painted grey and she also wore makeup to help transform her into the terrifying headmistress. Viewers quicky took to X to react to Shirley's transformation, writing: 'Shirley as Miss Trunchbull is acually sending me! Tbf they all look fab.' 'Oh my God I didn't recognise Shirley'... 'Shirley looks amazing!'... 'Shirley as Miss Trunchbull, I can't!' Shirley Ballas left viewers' jaws on the floor as she transformed into Miss Trunchbull on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday (Pam Ferris as Miss Trunchbill in Matilda, right) The usually glamorous head judge, 64, looked nearly unrecognisable as she came out dressed as the famous villain from Roald Dahl's Matilda for Musicals Week 'Send everyone else home, Shirley has won tonight'... 'Shirley as Miss Trunchbull, bravest choice of a judge outfit ever, so funny.' It comes after Shirley revealed she hates having the deciding vote as head judge and is always desperate for the other panellists to agree and save her from having to give anyone the boot - and often see her facing backlash. Shirley is often tasked with the final say if Craig Revel Horwood , 59, Motsi Mabuse , 43, and Anton Du Beke , 58, cannot come to an unanimous decision. She told Radio Times : 'I'm sitting there every weekend, thinking, Dear Lord, my saviour, please let the other three make the decision so it doesn't come down to me"'. 'But somebody has to do this job and I try to send them home with as much confidence and affection as I can. My heart does have a little cry when I see them go because I've got to know them, and see them improving'. Shirley joined the judging panel as head judge in 2017, replacing the late Len Goodman and says she has no plans on retiring. 'I want to do Strictly until I pop my clogs. I shall come in on my walking frame, because I'm married to dance!'. But Shirley considered not returning for the 2023 series after an 'overwhelming' amount of hate from vile trolls online. Viewers quicky took to X to react to Shirley's transformation, writing: 'Shirley as Miss Trunchbull is acually sending me!' The dancer ditched her usual evening gowns for a khaki coat which she wore with a chunky brown belt and a white shirt It comes after Shirley revealed she hates having the deciding vote as head judge and is always desperate for the other panellists to agree and save her from having to give anyone the boot But while she called her role the 'icing on the cake' to her career, the abuse that has come alongside it has been extremely difficult to deal with. She told the Sunday Times last year: 'I think I'm getting stronger as the years go by but the trolling got to me last year: it was bad. I think I was just overwhelmed'. 'I think I'm getting stronger as the years go by but the trolling got to me last year: it was bad. I think I was just overwhelmed. 'This year I've taken on a young man called Harry who does all my social media, which is proving to be just fabulous.' Employing someone else to manage her social media accounts means that Shirley has not been scrolling through the negative comments. Shirley Ballas Roald Dahl Strictly Come Dancing Share or comment on this article: Strictly's Shirley Ballas looks unrecognisable as she transforms into Miss Trunchbull for Musicals Week: 'Bravest judge outfit ever!' e-mail Add commentIF Covid taught us anything, it was a stark reminder of how reliant we are on China, the world's manufacturing superpower, producing nearly a third of everything we use. The pandemic exposed the fragility of global supply chains, especially when much of what we need starts or passes through China. While that’s not a big deal if you’re buying basketballs or jeans, it’s a different story if you’re sourcing essentials like British military uniforms. In a future crisis—or even escalating tensions with China—disruptions to these supply chains could have serious consequences. Imagine reintroducing national service (not an impossibility over the next five years). instead of marching to the parade ground, new recruits might first be heading to the Army Surplus Store for their kit. What’s missing is a clear China strategy. The lack of a unified plan for managing China’s rise—both as an economic powerhouse and a challenger to the global order—has left decision-making fragmented. Questions about security and resilience are often overshadowed by short-term cost savings. Case in point: The UK Defence Committee, during the last Parliament debated whether to source a ceremonial gift from British or Chinese metal, with the Chinese option being £4 cheaper. Eventually the British option was chosen – to avoid bad headlines! If the committee is making such political judgements so is any business having dealings with China. This duality defines the UK’s relationship with China. On one hand, China is seen as a strategic competitor, accused of intellectual property theft, cyber espionage, and using its economic leverage to further geopolitical aims. On the other, it’s the UK’s fourth-largest trading partner, contributing billions to the economy. Yet the playing field is far from level. Chinese companies operate freely in Western markets, while Western firms face barriers in China—restrictive regulations, joint venture requirements, and opaque rules. Without a consistent approach, the UK’s efforts to counter China’s unfair practices are weakened by economic dependency. Next time a crisis hits, we might discover just how costly that ambiguity really is. One thing is for certain, in today’s climate the MOD should know better than to procure uniforms from China! See main story: MoD orders £37m of kit from "national security risk" China /news/uk/1982955/mod-orders-37m-of-kit-from-China
Trump's TikTok love raises stakes in battle over app's fate
Sydney, Dec 20 (The Conversation) – As the holiday season approaches, the prospect of fully automating Christmas shopping with AI agents remains a tantalizing yet elusive dream. While current AI systems, like ChatGPT, cannot make purchases directly, the advancement of AI agents promises future breakthroughs. AI agents already have capabilities beyond basic suggestions, allowing actions such as purchasing and delivering goods. By 2025, experts predict that AI agents could become integral in managing tasks like holiday preparations. Technologies like Anthropic's and Google Deepmind's project hint at revolutionary AI applications that could handle complex processes through simple prompts. Despite existing technological possibilities, trust remains a key obstacle. AI agents require contextual understanding to make informed decisions, raising concerns about data security and decision accuracy. As AI continues to evolve, the dream of fully automated shopping may soon become a reality. (With inputs from agencies.)Let your little ones glide with the best kids’ ski bootsWeb Summit, in collaboration with the Government Communications Office and Qatar Development Bank, organised the Runway to Web Summit Qatar kick-off event for the second edition of the summit, set to be held in Doha from February 23 to 26. Hosted at M7 in Msheireb Downtown Doha, the event featured panel discussions with Paddy Cosgrave, founder and CEO of Web Summit, Abdulrahman Hesham al-Sowaidi, CEO of Qatar Development Bank and participants from Qatar-based startups. Discussions highlighted the startups’ participation in the first edition of the summit. Speakers at the event also highlighted the progress in preparations for Web Summit Qatar 2025, along with discussions on the future of technology and the vital role startups play in shaping Qatar’s economic future. HE Sheikh Jassim bin Mansour bin Jabor al-Thani, Director of the Government Communications Office and Chairman of the Permanent Web Summit Organising Committee, stated that the success of the first Web Summit Qatar held earlier this year showcased the potential of Qatar’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. He said that the success of Web Summit Qatar 2024 highlights Qatar’s role as a global hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, showcasing exceptional talent and opportunities across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, He also added that building on this momentum, the 2025 edition will foster deeper partnerships, empower more startups and drive greater progress in the tech and innovation sectors. Paddy Cosgrave, founder and CEO of Web Summit, anticipated a larger turnout for the second edition of Web Summit Qatar, remarking that this growth speaks of the attractiveness of Doha as first and foremost, a place to host international events, which the country has been doing exceptionally for several years. He also pointed out that the event is a gateway to the region and to a market beyond that of billions of people, and that they are both very lucky and excited to witness the success of such a global event in Qatar that has surpassed expectations. Abdulrahman Hesham al-Sowaidi, CEO of Qatar Development Bank, noted that the Web Summit Qatar represents a powerful testament to Qatar’s emergence as a global innovation hub, particularly in supporting startups, and that the next edition will show real progress. He further explained that this shift is part of a comprehensive strategy focusing on innovation and positioning Qatar as a destination for new ideas. He also noted that Qatar Development Bank’s current strategy supports Qatar-based companies, regardless of ownership, ensuring an inclusive and diverse business environment. The Web Summit is the world’s largest technology event, bringing together leaders from the industry, entrepreneurs, and investors. Web Summit Qatar 2025 will feature top global speakers and address key issues in technology and innovation. Web Summit’s five-year run in Qatar highlights the country’s ongoing efforts to establish itself as a leader in entrepreneurship, innovation and the tech sector. The summit is a vital catalyst for attracting foreign investment, boosting the tourism industry and enhancing the business environment, all of which support Qatar’s broader goals for economic diversification as part of the Qatar National Vision 2030. The first edition of Web Summit Qatar, held earlier this year, achieved significant milestones, including a record number of startups participating in the inaugural event, with remarkable attendance from African startups. Related Story PM meets UK foreign secretary
NoneNew pro-European coalition approved in Romania amid period of political turmoil
