Manchester City surrendered a commanding three-goal lead Tuesday night in a shocking 3-3 Champions League draw with Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium, extending their winless run to six games.
First Half
City dominated early proceedings with Ilkay Gundogan seeing the game’s first chance deflected wide. Erling Haaland had a header denied by Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther and the post, while Phil Foden forced another save with a long-range effort. The breakthrough came five minutes before halftime when Haaland converted a penalty after Quentin Timber’s foul.
Second Half
City appeared to seal victory early after the break. Gundogan doubled the lead with a deflected shot off David Hancko, and Haaland soon added his second, converting Matheus Nunes’ low cross for a 3-0 advantage.
The Comeback
Feyenoord’s remarkable revival began with Anis Hadj Moussa capitalizing on Josko Gvardiol’s poor backpass to round Ederson and score. Santiago Gimenez tapped home with eight minutes remaining before Hancko headed in on a counter-attack to complete the stunning turnaround.
Historic Collapse
The result marked the first time in Champions League history a team has failed to win after leading in the 75th minute, and City’s first surrender of a three-goal advantage since May 1989. Haaland’s brace came despite touching the ball just 26 times, at least 29 fewer than any other City outfield starter.
Law enforcement officials announced Tuesday the dismantling of a sophisticated shoplifting ring that stole nearly $2 million in merchandise from major U.S. retailers and resold the goods in New York City and the Dominican Republic.
Five New York residents face felony charges including possession of stolen property and conspiracy, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced. The operation targeted high-end makeup, perfume, beauty products, and designer clothing from retailers including Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, American Eagle, Sephora, and Ulta Beauty over approximately two years.
Prosecutors identified married couple Cristopher Guzman and Yvelisse Guzman Batista as the operation’s leaders, alleging they directed crews to steal specific merchandise from stores across the East Coast, including locations in New York, New Jersey, and Maryland. The group also allegedly paid truck drivers to divert products from manufacturer warehouses to locations under their control.
Operating from a Queens residence, the ring resold stolen goods online and through a physical store called Yvelisse Fashion in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The couple and two other defendants pleaded not guilty at their Saturday arraignment and were released pending January court dates, according to their attorney Vince Scala.
“When a deal seems too good to be true, I guarantee you, it’s too good to be true,” Katz warned holiday shoppers at Tuesday’s announcement.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, joining law enforcement officials, noted this case marks the first prosecution under a recently enacted law criminalizing the fostering of stolen goods sales. “This is real simple. We’ve had enough with criminals preying on our citizens,” Hochul said. “We are sick and tired of our citizens feeling they’re vulnerable to random crimes on the streets or these sophisticated organized crime rings. And we are coming after you.”
The governor cited national statistics showing businesses lose approximately $100 billion annually to organized retail theft, with the average family paying $500 more yearly due to its impact. The case announcement comes amid Hochul’s broader initiative to address retail crime, including recently signed measures increasing penalties for assaulting retail workers, funding specialized law enforcement teams, and providing security camera tax credits for businesses.
The arrests reflect growing national concern over retail theft. Earlier this month, California voters passed a measure making shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders, partially rolling back a decade-old law that had reduced penalties for thefts under $950.
A New Hampshire jury on Tuesday found former youth detention center leader Bradley Asbury guilty of holding down a 14-year-old while the teen was sexually assaulted in 1998, marking a significant conviction in a broader investigation into institutional abuse.
Asbury, 70, was convicted on two counts of being an accomplice to aggravated sexual assault after three days of jury deliberation. Each count carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence. The former house leader at Manchester’s Sununu Youth Services Center will remain in custody until his January sentencing.
The case centered on testimony from Michael Gilpatrick, now 41, who described being restrained on a staircase by Asbury and another colleague while a third staff member raped him and a fourth forced him to perform a sex act. “I can see it happening, but I can’t do anything,” Gilpatrick testified, describing an out-of-body experience during the assault. “I was just not there. But there.”
Asbury’s conviction represents the second criminal trial stemming from a sweeping 2019 investigation into abuse at the center. He is among 11 former staffers from the Manchester facility and an associated Concord center who face criminal charges.
Defense attorney David Rothstein argued the assault could not have occurred unnoticed on an open staircase and suggested Gilpatrick was motivated by money, noting he had received over $146,000 toward an anticipated civil settlement. Prosecutor Adam Woods countered that Gilpatrick’s recollection of the key event remained consistent, though he couldn’t report it at the time because Asbury held authority.
The case connects to extensive civil litigation involving more than 1,100 former residents alleging abuse across six decades. In May, the only civil trial to date resulted in a $38 million verdict for David Meehan regarding 1990s abuse, though the state seeks to reduce this to $475,000.
After Tuesday’s verdict, Gilpatrick embraced family members, stating through tears, “God is good and the truth prevailed. And I was believed.” Asbury, who maintained his innocence, thanked supporters as officers led him away in handcuffs.
A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday dismissed efforts to revive the criminal case accusing Donald Trump of illegally retaining classified documents, following prosecutors’ decision to abandon their appeal against the president-elect.
The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals order marks the end of both federal prosecutions against Trump as he prepares to return to the White House on January 20. A federal judge had already dismissed a separate case Monday that accused Trump of plotting to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led both prosecutions, cited long-standing Justice Department policy against prosecuting sitting presidents in court filings explaining the dismissals. The classified documents case had initially been thrown out by a Florida federal judge who ruled Smith’s appointment as special counsel improper.
Prosecutors indicated they will continue appealing that ruling as it relates to Trump associates Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, who were charged with attempting to obstruct the investigation. Both aides pleaded not guilty, as did Trump, who has denied wrongdoing in all cases.
An Australian Senate committee endorsed legislation Tuesday to ban social media access for children under 16, while recommending against forcing users to submit passports or other personal identification for age verification.
The government plans to test an age-verification system potentially using biometrics or government identification, representing some of the world’s strictest social media controls. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government aims to pass the bill by Thursday’s end of the parliamentary year, with broad opposition party support.
The Senate’s environment and communications legislation committee said in its Tuesday report that platforms “must set out alternative methods for assuring age as reasonable steps with consideration given to the age assurance trial.” The communications minister must submit a progress report on the age verification trial by September 30, 2025.
Committee Chair Senator Karen Grogan emphasized youth involvement in implementation: “Young people, and in particular diverse cohorts, must be at the centre of the conversation as an age restriction is implemented to ensure there are constructive pathways for connection.”
The proposed legislation would require social media platforms to implement reasonable age-verification measures or face fines up to A$49.5 million ($32 million) for systemic violations. Major platforms have opposed the rapid timeline, with Google, Meta, TikTok, and X all expressing concerns through submissions.
Some independent lawmakers have criticized the government’s accelerated timeline, noting the bill was introduced last Thursday, with submissions closing Friday and a brief hearing Monday.
British authorities have arrested Daniel Andreas San Diego, an alleged animal-rights extremist who has been on the FBI’s most-wanted terrorist list since 2009, ending a 15-year manhunt connected to California biotechnology firm bombings.
San Diego was apprehended Monday in Wales during a coordinated operation involving Britain’s National Crime Agency, Counter Terrorism Policing, and North Wales Police working with the FBI. He remains in detention pending extradition proceedings.
The suspect faces charges stemming from an August 2003 bombing at Chiron Inc. near Oakland, California, where authorities also discovered and disabled a second explosive device potentially meant to target first responders. Investigators accuse San Diego of planting a third bomb at another California company the following month. No injuries resulted from any of the incidents.
A group calling itself Revolutionary Cells claimed responsibility through statements on a pro-animal rights website, citing the targeted companies’ alleged connections to Huntingdon Life Sciences, a firm criticized for animal testing practices that is now part of Inotiv.
A 2004 federal grand jury indictment charged San Diego with two counts each of destroying or attempting to destroy property with explosives and using a destructive device in a crime of violence. The FBI has previously stated San Diego openly advocated using violence to advance animal rights movement goals.
“There’s a right way and a wrong way to express your views in our country, and turning to violence and destruction of property is not the right way,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said, adding that the arrest demonstrates the bureau’s commitment to pursuing suspects regardless of time elapsed.
Russian forces are advancing in Ukraine at their fastest pace since the early days of the 2022 invasion, capturing an area half the size of London over the past month, according to analysts and military observers Tuesday.
The Russian army seized approximately 235 square kilometers (91 square miles) in the past week alone, setting a 2024 record, reported independent Russian news group Agentstvo, citing data from combat footage analysis group DeepState. November’s total captured territory reached 600 square kilometers (232 square miles).
Russia’s Defense Ministry announced the capture of another village, Kopanky, in Kharkiv region Tuesday, though Ukraine’s third separate assault brigade claimed via Telegram it had cleared the area of Russian forces. Ukrainian military spokesman Nazar Voloshyn reported repelling a Russian advance on the logistics center of Kupiansk, the second such defense this month.
The main thrust of Russian advances has focused on Donetsk region, with forces pushing toward Pokrovsk and into Kurakhove. Russia currently controls 18% of Ukraine, including all of Crimea, over 80% of Donbas, more than 70% of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and just under 3% of Kharkiv region, according to open source maps.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has identified Putin’s main objectives as occupying the Donbas region, spanning Donetsk and Luhansk, and ousting Ukrainian troops from Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine maintains control of about 800 of the initially held 1,376 square kilometers.
Ukrainian military officials acknowledge the situation in the east is at its worst point this year. Zelenskiy attributed the challenges to several factors, including year-long delays in equipping brigades, partly due to prolonged U.S. Congressional deliberation over assistance packages.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s military reported repelling 23 Russian attempts to advance along the Kurakhove front line Tuesday evening, along with 25 attacks near Pokrovsk. Russian military bloggers suggest that breaking Ukrainian defenses around Kurakhove could enable a westward push toward Zaporizhzhia while securing rear positions for movements toward Pokrovsk.
Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, claimed Russia now holds “complete strategic initiative on the battlefield,” as the conflict enters what Russian and Western officials describe as potentially its most dangerous phase.
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire beginning Wednesday at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT), following intense diplomatic efforts by the United States and France to end months of cross-border violence, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday.
Israel’s security cabinet approved the agreement in a 10-1 vote, clearing the way for what Biden called “a permanent cessation of hostilities” in the conflict that erupted following last year’s Gaza war. “What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed to threaten the security of Israel again,” Biden said at the White House.
The deal includes a 60-day gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces as Lebanon’s army assumes control of border territories to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its infrastructure. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said the country would deploy at least 5,000 troops to the southern region.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing coalition opposition to the deal, emphasized Israel’s readiness to respond to violations. “We will enforce the agreement and respond forcefully to any violation. Together, we will continue until victory,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel retained “complete military freedom of action” in coordination with the United States.
Despite the diplomatic breakthrough, violence intensified Tuesday with Israel conducting extensive airstrikes across Lebanon, killing at least 18 people according to health authorities. Israel reported striking Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure while intercepting rocket launches from Lebanese territory that triggered alarms in approximately 115 settlements.
A senior U.S. official, speaking anonymously, revealed that the U.S. and France would join a mechanism with the UNIFIL peacekeeping force to work alongside Lebanon’s army in monitoring ceasefire violations, though no U.S. combat forces would deploy.
The agreement faces domestic challenges in Israel, where a Channel 12 TV poll showed 37% support versus 32% opposition. Critics, including Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, argue the deal doesn’t guarantee the safe return of displaced northern Israelis and question the Lebanese army’s ability to contain Hezbollah.
Israeli army members operate in an area given as Tulkarm, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on August 28, 2024. Israeli Army Handout/Handout via REUTERS
Both Lebanon’s government and Hezbollah insist on allowing displaced civilians to return to southern Lebanon, while some Israeli opposition leaders advocate for a depopulated buffer zone along the frontier.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised the agreement on social media as “the culmination of efforts undertaken for many months with the Israeli and Lebanese authorities.” UN Special Coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert welcomed the deal, urging parties to “deliver, through concrete actions, to consolidate today’s achievement.”
Netanyahu said the ceasefire would allow Israel to focus on Iranian threats, replenish arms supplies, give forces rest, and isolate Hamas. He claimed Hezbollah had been “considerably weakened,” with Israel destroying “most of its rockets and missiles, neutralized thousands of fighters, and obliterated years of terror infrastructure near our border.”
Ukraine’s military intercepted 76 Russian drones during a massive overnight assault that saw Moscow launch 188 unmanned aircraft and four missiles across the country, officials said Tuesday.
The air force engaged targets across sixteen regions as Russian forces conducted their latest aerial bombardment, which damaged critical infrastructure and apartment buildings. Ukrainian air defenses successfully countered drone attacks in Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Poltava, Rivne, Sumy, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia and Zhytomyr.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Governor Serhiy Lysak confirmed via Telegram that one drone hit central Nikopol.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its own success against Ukrainian aerial attacks, reporting it shot down 39 drones overnight, with the majority intercepted over the Rostov region and others over Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Oryol, Voronezh and Russian-occupied Crimea. Officials in Rostov, Bryansk and Voronezh said these attacks caused no damage or casualties.
A Russian court sentenced journalist Nika Novak to four years in prison Tuesday for allegedly cooperating with a foreign organization, in a case that underscores the country’s intensifying crackdown on independent media.
Photo: womeninjournalism.org
The Zabaikalsky Regional Court in Chita found Novak, 24, guilty of assisting in “the preparation of false materials discrediting the Armed Forces of Russia and government agencies” while working with foreign media representatives. The court claimed she received monetary compensation for actions aimed at damaging Russia’s reputation and destabilizing the country.
Novak, who previously worked as a freelance reporter for U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty according to Siberia.Realities, was arrested in Moscow in December 2023. Authorities transported her more than 6,000 kilometers east to Chita for a closed-door trial.
In a Telegram post published Tuesday after her sentencing, Novak described her seven-hour flight from Moscow’s Lefortovo prison to Chita. She revealed she remains barred from contacting her mother, who is listed as a witness in the case, and suggested authorities monitor all her communications. “I feel some pressure, but I try not to lose heart,” she wrote.
The journalist served as editor-in-chief of local news site Zab.ru and organized cultural events in Chita, a remote eastern Russian city closer to Japan than Moscow. The human rights organization Memorial has designated Novak a political prisoner.
The case represents another application of Russia’s foreign agent laws, which authorities have increasingly used to restrict press freedom, including actions against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
