Author: Verified News Online

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Did Ukraine launch 91-drone attack on Putin’s presidential residence – or is it a Russian show for Trump?

Russia’s claim that Ukraine launched a 91-drone strike on Vladimir Putin’s personal residence has threatened to derail months of talks over a peace deal to end Moscow’s invasion.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has called the claims a “complete fabrication” intended to lay the groundwork for future strikes on Kyiv and other areas of Ukraine.
“I am sure they are simply preparing the ground for strikes, probably on the capital, probably on government buildings,” he said.
Donald Trump appeared swayed by Russian claim and said he was “very angry” at the news of the strikes. That reaction is likely one of the aims of Moscow’s accusations – with Trump’s support having wavered between Kyiv and Moscow in recent months.
Europe has sought to back Kyiv with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas calling the claims “unfounded” and a “deliberate distraction” in remarks on Wednesday.
“Moscow aims to derail real progress towards peace by Ukraine and its Western partners,” Ms Kallas wrote on X/Twi..

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What are Russians hoping for in 2026, asks Steve Rosenberg

What are Russians hoping for in 2026, asks Steve RosenbergAs the New Year holiday gets underway, the BBC's Russia editor Steve Rosenberg asks people on the streets of Moscow about their hopes for 2026 and how they see their future.
It's not only Russia's war on Ukraine that is preying on people's minds, but also the state of the economy, which is coming under increasing pressure.
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EuropeSnow-capped Mount Etna erupts as skiers glide down slopesScientists say volcanic activity at the site, which frequently erupts, had intensified this week, with craters continuously emitting ash.
EuropeWatch: Pope Leo's plea for peace in..

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EU’s top diplomat rejects Russian claims of Ukrainian attack on government sites

EU's top diplomat rejects Russian claims of Ukrainian attack on government sites7 hours agoShareSaveLaura GozziKyivShareSaveReutersKaja Kallas accused the Kremlin of trying to derail the peace process with allegations of a Ukrainian attack on government sitesThe EU's top diplomat has called Moscow's claims that Ukraine targeted Russian government sites a “deliberate distraction” and an attempt to derail the peace process.
Kaja Kallas' comments on social media appear to be a reference to the Kremlin's allegation that Ukraine attempted a drone strike on one of Vladimir Putin's residences.
“No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine's infrastructure and civilians,” Kallas wrote on social media.
Earlier this week Moscow accused Ukraine of targeting Putin's private home on Lake Valdai in north-west Russia.
Russia would review its position in the ongoing peace negotiations as a result, the Kreml..

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Pakistan: Asim Munir marries third daughter to brother’s son; top military chiefs, politicians in attendance

Pakistan army chief field marshal Asim Munir hosted his daughter’s wedding last week in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where she was married to her first cousin, Abdul Rehman, according to Pakistani media reports. The ceremony was attended by senior political leaders and top military officials but was kept low-key due to security considerations, with no official photographs released.Among those present at the ceremony were Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar, Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz, the chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and several serving and retired senior army officers, including former army chiefs.Pakistani journalist Zahid Gishkori said around 400 guests attended the event, which was deliberately kept subdued. Gishkori, in a video posted on social media platform YouTube, confirmed the family connection between the bride and groom. “Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir's d..

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Did Starmer impose a curfew in the UK? No, it’s just a fake TikTok video

Keir Starmer The 61-second video of UK PM Keir Starmer would be shocking, if it were true. “The UK is set to introduce a nationwide curfew, beginning at 11pm each night,” he appears to say on one of thousands of TikTok videos of him posted in last six months. “Under the new rule, no one will be permitted to leave their home after 11pm without official authorisation.”Starmer never made any such policy or announcement. But thanks to AI, the PM in the short video sounded eerily like the real one. The fake video attracted over 430,000 views and inspired similar posts on X and Facebook. That video, and other similar ones, appears to have been taken down by the Chinese-owned social media company, which officially prohibits “fake authoritative sources or crisis events, or falsely shows public figures in certain contexts.” Coup In Britain? Starmer’s ‘Own Cabinet Plots’ His Downfall | ‘Full Bunker Mode’ In No. 10 But the clip was just one of 6,042 such videos, most featuring Starmer, identified..

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Russian losses in Ukraine rising faster than ever, finds new analysis

Russian losses in the war in Ukraine have been growing at a faster rate than at any point so far since the invasion began in February 2022, new analysis suggests.
Analysis by the BBC found that 40 per cent more obituaries of soldiers were published in Russia this year compared with 2024.
The broadcaster, along with independent outlet Mediazona, compiled a list of named individuals using official reports, newspapers and social media, as well as new memorials and graves. In total, they were able to confirm the names of around 160,000 people who have been killed.
Experts told the broadcaster that the figure is likely to be far higher, with the BBC’s toll only likely to represent between 45 and 65 per cent of the overall total. This would mean that Moscow has suffered between 243,000 and 352,000 casualties since the war began.
open image in galleryA Russian soldier fires a Malka self-propelled gun towards Ukrainian positions (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)The BBC’s data shows t..

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China’s DRAM giant CXMT plans US$4.2 billion IPO on Shanghai’s Star Market

AdvertisementShanghaiChina Future TechSemiconductorsChina’s DRAM giant CXMT plans US$4.2 billion IPO on Shanghai’s Star MarketListing aims to fund wafer expansion and DRAM upgrades as Beijing drives tech self-reliance
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPThemis QiPublished: 12:30pm, 31 Dec 2025CXMT Corporation, parent of Chinese memory chip giant ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), aims to raise 29.5 billion yuan (US$4.2 billion) from an initial public offering in Shanghai to fund technology upgrades, as Beijing presses ahead with its drive for tech self-reliance amid geopolitical tensions.
The Shanghai Stock Exchange received CXMT’s application for a listing on the Nasdaq-style Star Market, a filing on the bourse’s website showed on Tuesday night. This marks a critical step towards a listing for China’s largest dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) designer and manufacturer.
The company planned to issue no more than 10.62 billion new shares, the filing said.
AdvertisementIn term..

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Hong Kong to step up inspections as new smoking bans take effect on Thursday

AdvertisementHong Kong societyHong KongSocietyHong Kong to step up inspections as new smoking bans take effect on ThursdaySome residents say they are aware of new rules banning smoking while queuing or near certain facilities, whereas tourists note they are not but will comply
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPLeopold ChenPublished: 12:27pm, 31 Dec 2025Updated: 12:48pm, 31 Dec 2025Hong Kong authorities will ramp up inspections at bus stops and tourist spots starting on Thursday, when new rules banning smoking while queuing or near designated facilities take effect.
While some residents told the Post on Wednesday that they were aware of the new measures, visitors in Tsim Sha Tsui said they were not but would comply.
Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office head Manny Lam Man-chung said that the move aimed to enforce new smoking control measures and raise public awareness.
AdvertisementOfficers will issue penalty tickets to smokers who fail to observe the new rules, but will be more ..

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Newsom trolls ‘Dozy Don’ after Trump posts photo of dead falcon and claims windmills are killing ‘our beautiful Bald Eagles’

California Governor Gavin Newsom has trolled Donald Trump once again, questioning the president’s knowledge of America’s national bird after he posted a photo of a dead falcon and claimed windmills are killing “our beautiful Bald Eagles.”
In Trump’s latest attack against windmills, more accurately called wind turbines, he shared a photo to Truth Social on Tuesday of a bird lying on the ground in front of several of the energy producers and wrote, “Windmills are killing all of our beautiful Bald Eagles!”
But as several outlets have pointed out, the photo is of a falcon, not a bald eagle, and it was taken in Israel in 2017. The photo was shared in Israeli newspapers Haaretz in 2017 and The Times of Israel in 2022.
The Department of Energy even shared Trump’s post on social media. The Independent has reached out to the agency asking if it is aware of the photo’s origins.
Reacting to Trump’s post, Newsom’s press team wrote on X, “Dozy Don doesn’t know what America’s bird looks like???”
op..

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Passengers stuck on Eurostar trains overnight as delays continue

Passengers stuck on Eurostar trains overnight as delays continue2 hours agoShareSaveGeorge WrightandJacob Phillips & Nicky Schiller,London St Pancras InternationalShareSaveKelly North and Bethany Massey-Chase tell the BBC how they've had to re-book their Eurostar service to ParisEurostar passengers are braced for a second day of possible disruption, after a power outage in the Channel Tunnel caused travel chaos for thousands of people on Tuesday.
Some travellers spent hours stuck onboard trains overnight as they waited for them to move.
One man told the BBC he had boarded the 19:01 service to Paris, but as of 02:30 GMT he was still stuck on the train at the entrance to the tunnel.
He said staff told him there was a “50% chance we go to Paris, 50% chance we go back to London”.
On Tuesday, a problem with the overhead power supply and a broken down LeShuttle train blocked all routes, causing disruption for thousands trying to get away for New Year's Eve.
Some Eurostar and LeShut..

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