One of Instagram’s most-followed personalities, Selena Gomez, shared engagement news with her 423 million followers Thursday, posting video footage of emotional announcement calls to loved ones.
“Yes to this,” Gomez is heard saying in the video, met with excited screams from those on the other end of the calls. The engagement follows her collaboration with record producer Benny Blanco on songs including “I Can’t Get Enough” (2019) and “Single Soon” (2023).
Blanco previously expressed his feelings during a May appearance on the Drew Barrymore Show. “She’s just like the best, most genuine person,” he said. “Everything is completely real. Everyday when I wake up, I, like, walk by the mirror as I’m, like, walking to her and I ask myself, ‘How did I get here.'”
Selena Gomez, a Texas-born entertainer, who began her career as a child actress on Barney and Disney Channel, recently joined Bloomberg’s billionaire list with a $1.3 billion fortune, largely from her Rare Beauty makeup company. She received two Golden Globe nominations Monday – for supporting actress in “Emilia Pérez” and best actress in a TV series for “Only Murders in the Building.”
The European Union approved new sanctions against Russia Wednesday, targeting a “shadow fleet” of aging tankers Moscow uses to evade Western oil price caps, alongside Chinese companies suspected of supporting Russian drone production.
The 15th sanctions package since Russia’s February 2022 invasion focuses on approximately 50 vessels within Moscow’s fleet of an estimated 600 tankers, which operate with poor maintenance and dubious insurance to circumvent the G7’s $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian crude oil.
“The EU and its G7 partners are committed to keeping pressure on the Kremlin,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The measures aim to curtail Russia’s primary revenue source for its war in Ukraine, with oil exports generating €475 billion between February 2022 and June 2024, representing 68% of fossil fuel export earnings, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
Brussels officials express growing concern about environmental risks posed by the aging tankers, many over 20 years old, operating with minimal safety standards and “flags of convenience” from countries like Panama, Liberia, and the Marshall Islands. The vessels reportedly engage in deceptive practices, including falsifying data and conducting ship-to-ship transfers to obscure oil origins.
The package, approved during Hungary’s controversial Council presidency, faced minimal resistance except from Lithuania, which objected to derogations allowing European companies to exit the Russian market. China and India remain Russia’s primary oil customers, often refining Russian crude for re-export to EU markets under different labels.
Sir Elton John, newly named Time magazine’s Icon of the Year for 2024, has branded the legalization of marijuana in North America “one of the greatest mistakes of all time,” drawing from his own experiences with substance abuse.
“I maintain that it’s addictive,” the 77-year-old singer told Time. “It leads to other drugs. And when you’re stoned – and I’ve been stoned – you don’t think normally.” His comments come as more than 20 U.S. states have legalized recreational marijuana for adults, while Canada fully legalized cannabis for both recreational and medical use in 2018.
John, who has maintained sobriety since 1990, reflected candidly on his own past substance abuse. “You make terrible decisions on drugs,” he said. “I wanted love so badly, I’d just take hostages. I’d see someone I liked and spend three or four months together, and then they would resent me because they had nothing in their life apart from me.”
The music legend’s Icon of the Year recognition has drawn praise from contemporary artists. Dua Lipa, his “Cold Heart” collaborator, told Time, “Singing alongside one of my musical heroes was a no-brainer. His music has been able to soundtrack my life from the very beginning.” Rising artist Chappell Roan described him as “one of the original queens,” sharing mentorship advice he provided about songwriting persistence.
While cannabis remains federally illegal in the United States, the Justice Department has recently proposed reclassifying it, even as John warns against its broader acceptance.
Human Rights Watch released a damning report Thursday accusing Malian armed forces and Russian Wagner Group mercenaries of deliberately killing at least 32 civilians and committing widespread abuses since UN peacekeepers withdrew from the West African nation.
The documented violations include a drone strike that killed seven civilians, four kidnappings, and the destruction of at least 100 homes in central and northern Mali since May. The report comes amid growing concerns about civilian protection following the December departure of MINUSMA, the UN’s decade-long peacekeeping mission.
“The Malian army with the Wagner Group and Islamist armed groups have been targeting civilians and their property in violation of the laws of war,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. She expressed concern that “the situation is even worse than reported” given difficulties gathering comprehensive information since the UN’s withdrawal.
The rights group also highlighted atrocities by jihadi groups, reporting at least 47 civilian executions and widespread displacement since June. Militants have burned thousands of homes and stolen livestock critical to nomadic communities’ survival.
Mali’s security crisis has deepened since military coups swept the region, with ruling juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger expelling French forces in favor of Russian security assistance. Wagner Group mercenaries have operated in Mali since late 2021, facing accusations of civilian killings through raids and drone strikes while ostensibly helping combat an insurgency linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State militants.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed he won’t manage another club after his time at the Etihad Stadium ends, suggesting international management could be his next step in coaching.
“I’m not going to manage another team. I’m not talking about the long-term future, but what I’m not going to do is leave Man City, go to another country, and do the same thing as now,” Guardiola told celebrity chef Dani Garcia in a broadcast interview this week. “I wouldn’t have the energy. The thought of starting somewhere else, all the process of training and so on. No, no, no! Maybe a national team, but that’s different.”
The Catalan coach, who recently signed a contract extension through 2027, will have spent 11 years at Manchester City when his current deal expires. His tenure has produced an impressive haul of 15 major trophies, including six Premier League titles in seven years and the Champions League.
Guardiola’s illustrious coaching career spans successful spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, accumulating 32 major trophies including league titles in Spain and Germany, plus three Champions League victories. He is widely regarded as one of soccer’s greatest coaches.
While contemplating his future beyond City, Guardiola hasn’t ruled out leaving coaching entirely. “I want to leave it and go and play golf but I can’t. I think stopping would do me good,” he said, suggesting a period of rest might appeal after his City tenure ends.
A Serbian court sentenced Uros Blazic to 20 years in prison Thursday for gunning down nine people and wounding 12 others in a shooting rampage outside Belgrade last May, delivering the maximum sentence allowed for offenders under 21 years old.
The 21-year-old defendant opened fire with an automatic rifle on May 4, 2023, randomly targeting young people at multiple locations in the villages of Dubona and Malo Orasje. The attack came just one day after Serbia’s first school shooting, where a teenager killed nine students and a guard at a Belgrade elementary school.
“I committed hideous acts and I deserve the toughest punishment,” Blazic told the court during closing arguments, saying he felt victimized but acknowledged no justification for his actions. The judges found he was “aware of his actions and their illegality, and with relentless violent behavior” killed and wounded his victims.
The court also convicted Blazic’s father, Radisa Blazic, sentencing him to 20 years for illegal possession of the weapons used in the shooting. Local media reported the younger Blazic had a police record and history of violent behavior before the massacre.
Victims’ families attended the verdict, many sobbing as they entered the courtroom wearing shirts bearing images of their lost loved ones. The shootings, unprecedented in modern Serbian history, sparked street protests and a government crackdown on illegal weapons.
The school shooter’s parents are currently on trial in Belgrade, while their son, who was below the age of criminal responsibility, remains in a specialized mental institution.
Bukayo Saka was denied his first Arsenal hat-trick Wednesday night when teammate Kai Havertz’s shin deflected his goal-bound shot into the net, putting a bittersweet touch on an otherwise dominant Champions League performance.
“He got in the way of it,” Saka said with a laugh after the 3-0 victory over Monaco at the Emirates Stadium, “but don’t worry, it’s (a hat trick) coming. It’s on the way.” The 23-year-old winger had already scored twice before his 88th-minute effort was redirected by Havertz for Arsenal’s third goal.
Manager Mikel Arteta focused on Saka’s continued development toward elite status rather than the missed milestone. “You have to be able to do that consistently throughout many years to put yourself in that position,” Arteta noted. “We can compare what he’s done in his first six years of professional football, which is exceptional, and his aim is to improve.”
The match also marked a significant moment for Arsenal’s youth development as 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly made his Champions League debut at left back, following Saka’s own path from academy prospect to first-team star. “Looking up to Bukayo, he has that mindset, he has everything,” Lewis-Skelly said. “I’ve learned a lot from him and I want to keep learning.”
Despite missing out on his personal milestone, Saka’s performance helped lift Arsenal to third place in the 36-team standings. His three goal contributions continued his impressive form in European competition, even if the hat-trick remained just out of reach.
President Joe Biden announced Thursday the commutation of roughly 1,500 sentences for people who served at least one year of home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside pardons for 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes, marking the largest single-day clemency action in modern U.S. history.
“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said in a statement. “As president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities.”
The massive clemency action surpasses Barack Obama’s previous record of 330 acts of clemency before leaving office in 2017. Those pardoned Thursday include emergency response team leaders, church deacons working in addiction counseling, doctoral students, and decorated military veterans convicted of nonviolent offenses.
Biden faces mounting pressure from advocacy groups to issue additional pardons before Trump takes office in January, including for federal death row inmates. His attorney general, Merrick Garland, had paused federal executions, though they’re likely to resume under Trump, who oversaw an unprecedented number of executions during his first term.
The president is also weighing possible preemptive pardons for those who investigated Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The unprecedented move has been under consideration for six months, though Biden has expressed concerns about the precedent it would set.
The clemency follows Biden’s controversial pardon of his son Hunter for gun and tax crimes, which garnered only 20% public approval in an AP-NORC poll. Criminal justice advocates have since pressed the administration to extend similar mercy to everyday Americans.
Prior to Thursday’s announcement, Biden had issued 122 commutations and 21 pardons, including broad pardons for marijuana possession on federal lands and former service members convicted under repealed military regulations on consensual gay sex.
Police announced Wednesday that fingerprints found on a water bottle and protein bar near the murder scene of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson match those of Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect arrested Monday in Pennsylvania after a weeklong manhunt.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch revealed the forensic breakthrough alongside ballistics evidence linking Mangione’s seized firearm to shell casings from the December 4 shooting outside a Manhattan hotel. The evidence provides the first physical connection between Mangione and the targeted killing of the 50-year-old healthcare executive.
Mangione, arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, faces multiple charges in both states as his lawyers fight extradition to New York. “He’s pleading not guilty to those offences,” defense attorney Thomas Dickey said. “I haven’t seen any evidence that he is the shooter.” Dickey later told ABC News that similar-looking guns shouldn’t lead to rushed judgments.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul pledged to expedite the extradition process. “I am co-ordinating with the District Attorney’s Office and will sign a request for a governor’s warrant to ensure this individual is tried and held accountable,” she said. Defense lawyers have two weeks to challenge the transfer.
Police discovered three handwritten pages in Mangione’s possession that appeared to claim responsibility for Thompson’s killing, expressing frustrations with the U.S. healthcare system. “He does make some indication that he’s frustrated with the healthcare system,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told Good Morning America. “He was writing a lot about his disdain for corporate America and in particular the healthcare industry.”
Former friends told the BBC that Mangione, who holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, had suffered from a back injury requiring spinal surgery in 2023. His mother had reported him missing in San Francisco last month, having not heard from him since July.
“Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement posted by his cousin. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.”
Thompson’s widow, Paulette, had previously revealed he received threats related to medical coverage before his death, though prosecutors haven’t suggested a specific motive.
Syrian rebel fighters destroyed the tomb of former president Hafez al-Assad Monday in the family’s ancestral hometown of Qardaha, marking another symbolic defeat of the Assad dynasty days after President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia.
Video footage verified by the BBC showed armed men chanting around the burning mausoleum in northwestern Latakia region, as rebels continued dismantling symbols of the 54-year Assad rule. Across Syria, citizens have been pulling down statues and posters of both Hafez, who ruled from 1971 until his death in 2000, and his son Bashar.
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group moved quickly to establish order in Qardaha, meeting with local elders who signed a document emphasizing Syria’s religious and cultural diversity, Reuters reported. The gesture aimed to reassure the region’s Alawite population, who comprise about 10% of Syrians and were traditional Assad supporters.
HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has pledged tolerance for different religious groups since breaking ties with al-Qaeda in 2016. The group has appointed Mohammed al-Bashir to lead a transitional government until March 2025, with Tuesday meetings already underway to transfer institutional control from former regime officials.
“We reopened without fear because the people we serve are now not intimidating at all,” said Joud Insani, a Damascus chocolate shop worker. “Before, everyone who came to buy from us was either there to represent a general or a minister loyal to the Assad regime. Now thank God, that is no longer the case.”
The dramatic changes follow Bashar al-Assad’s brutal suppression of peaceful pro-democracy protests in 2011, which sparked a devastating civil war killing over half a million people and displacing 12 million others. The U.S. Secretary of State has promised to support a future Syrian government if it emerges from an inclusive process respecting minorities.
In Damascus’s Joubar neighborhood, residents are returning to assess war damage. “This is the first time we dared to come back,” said Muhammad al Qahef, surveying his destroyed home with his wife Monawwar. “I feel as if it’s me that has been broken into pieces.”
The UN envoy for Syria has called on rebels to match their “good messages” with practical implementation, as merchants in Damascus markets celebrate newfound “oxygen in the air” and ongoing festivities mark the regime’s end.
