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Australia Dismisses Musk’s Claims of Internet Control Over Child Protection Laws

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers dismissed claims by X Corp. owner Elon Musk Friday that proposed social media legislation represents a government attempt to control internet access, escalating tensions between the tech billionaire and Australian regulators.

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers, right, gestures as he and Industry Minister Ed Husic speak to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP)

The dispute centers on new legislation introduced Thursday that would impose fines up to AU$150 million ($133 million) on social media platforms including X, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, and Instagram for allowing children under 16 to create accounts.

“The idea that Elon Musk is not delighted with our steps to try and protect kids online is not an especially big surprise to us, nor does it trouble us greatly,” Chalmers told reporters, responding to Musk’s assertion that the law represents “a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians.”

The confrontation marks the latest clash between Musk and Australian authorities, following April’s dispute over a court order requiring X to block worldwide access to video footage of a Sydney church stabbing. That incident prompted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to label Musk an “arrogant billionaire” who considered himself above the law.

Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who initiated the church video case, reported receiving death threats after Musk “issued a dog whistle to 181 million users around the globe,” leading to online attacks and doxxing of her family.

The legislation, scheduled for parliamentary debate Monday, could become law as early as next week. “Our job is not to come up with a social media policy to please Elon Musk. Our job is to put in place the necessary protection for kids online,” Chalmers emphasized.

Sectarian Clashes Kill 33 in Northwestern Pakistan as Violence Escalates

At least 33 people were killed and 25 others injured in overnight sectarian fighting between armed Sunni and Shiite groups in Pakistan’s northwestern Kurram district, a senior police officer said Saturday, marking the second major outbreak of violence in the region this week.

The latest clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province erupted just days after a deadly gun ambush killed 42 people in the same area. Armed men from the Alizai and Bagan tribes engaged in intense exchanges of heavy weapons fire in the Lower Kurram area, while attackers torched shops, houses, and government buildings in Bagan and Bacha Kot, according to police.

“Educational institutions in Kurram are closed due to the severe tension. Both sides are targeting each other with heavy and automatic weapons,” said a senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he lacked authorization to discuss the situation with media.

Videos obtained by The Associated Press showed a market engulfed in flames, with gunfire echoing through the night. The violence follows Thursday’s attack in which gunmen emerged from vehicles to spray buses and cars with bullets, though no group has claimed responsibility for that incident.

The fighting highlights persistent tensions in Kurram, where Shiite Muslims, who make up about 15% of Pakistan’s 240 million people, have historically coexisted uneasily with the Sunni majority. Dozens from both communities have been killed since July when a land dispute escalated into broader sectarian violence.

Philippine VP Issues Public Death Threat Against President Marcos, Sparking Security Crisis

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte sparked a national security crisis Saturday by publicly announcing she had contracted an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and the House speaker if she herself is assassinated, prompting immediate action from presidential security forces.

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Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte

The unprecedented threat, which Duterte emphasized “was not a joke,” came during a pre-dawn news conference where she launched an expletive-laden attack on Marcos’ leadership. “Don’t worry about my security because I’ve talked with somebody. I said ‘if I’m killed, you’ll kill BBM, Liza Araneta and Martin Romualdez. No joke, no joke,'” Duterte declared, using the president’s popular nickname.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin referred the “active threat” to the Presidential Security Command, which immediately enhanced protection for Marcos and described the public statement as a national security issue. The security force announced it was “coordinating with law enforcement agencies to detect, deter, and defend against any and all threats to the president and the first family.”

The explosive development marks a dramatic deterioration in relations between the former running mates, who won landslide victories in May 2022 on a platform of national unity. Their alliance rapidly dissolved over policy differences, particularly regarding China’s actions in the South China Sea, leading to Duterte’s resignation from Marcos’ Cabinet in June as education secretary.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The immediate trigger for Duterte’s outburst was the detention of her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, by House members allied with Speaker Martin Romualdez during an investigation into possible budget misuse. Lopez was later hospitalized after falling ill.

Military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner moved to calm tensions, issuing a statement affirming the 160,000-member Armed Forces’ nonpartisan stance. “We call for calm and resolve,” Brawner said. “We reiterate our need to stand together against those who will try to break our bonds as Filipinos.”

The 46-year-old vice president, a lawyer by profession, is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose controversial anti-drug campaign is under investigation by the International Criminal Court for possible crimes against humanity. The elder Duterte recently admitted to maintaining a “death squad” during his tenure as Davao City mayor in testimony before the Philippine Senate.

Legal experts note that Duterte’s public threat could violate the Philippine penal code, which prohibits threatening to inflict harm on a person or their family, carrying penalties of imprisonment and fines.

Israeli Strikes Kill 11 in Beirut, Gaza Violence Continues Amid Peace Efforts

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 11 people and wounded 63 others in central Beirut Saturday, marking the fourth bombardment of Lebanon’s capital in less than a week, as international diplomacy struggles to contain the widening regional conflict.

Lebanese health officials warned the death toll could rise as emergency teams searched through rubble from the pre-dawn strikes that destroyed an eight-story building. The ministry reported using DNA testing to identify victims, highlighting the severity of the 4 a.m. attack that left a massive crater in its wake.

The escalation comes despite U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein’s recent regional visit aimed at brokering a cease-fire in the 13-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The fighting has killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon and wounded 15,000, while displacing approximately 1.2 million Lebanese citizens – a quarter of the country’s population.

In southern Lebanon, a separate drone strike killed one person and injured another in Tyre, with state media identifying the victims as young teenage fishermen. An Associated Press journalist witnessed the strike from a nearby hotel after observing the victims setting up fishing nets.

Israel’s military, which did not comment on the civilian casualties, announced strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, citing intelligence about command centers and weapons storage facilities. The army posted warnings on social media for residents near alleged Hezbollah facilities to evacuate at least 500 meters away.

Meanwhile in Gaza, violence continued unabated with at least six people, including three children and two women, killed in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Associated Press reporters at Nasser Hospital. The territory’s death toll has exceeded 44,000 during the 13-month war, with Gaza’s Health Ministry reporting that more than half of casualties are women and children.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached critical levels, with the United Nations reporting severe hunger across central and southern regions. In Deir al-Balah, bread prices soared above $13 per bag as bakeries suspended operations, leading to tragic incidents including the fatal shooting of two women waiting in a breadline Saturday.

The conflict, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and took 250 hostages, has left about 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents displaced, many living in makeshift camps with minimal access to food, water, and basic services. Approximately 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with at least one-third presumed dead.

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New Russian Missile Reached Over 8,000 MPH in Ukraine Strike, Intelligence Says

A new Russian missile reached speeds exceeding 8,000 miles per hour during Thursday’s strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, traveling from launch to impact in just 15 minutes, Ukrainian military intelligence revealed Friday in its first detailed assessment of the weapon.

The missile, which Russian President Vladimir Putin identified as the “Oreshnik,” achieved a maximum velocity of Mach 11 – approximately 13,600 kilometers (8,450 miles) per hour – during its final approach, according to Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR).

“The flight time of this Russian missile from the moment of its launch in the Astrakhan region to its impact in the city of Dnipro was 15 minutes,” the HUR stated. “The missile was equipped with six warheads: each equipped with six submunitions.”

Deputy intelligence chief Vadym Skibitsky identified the weapon as part of Russia’s Kedr missile complex, which underwent initial testing in June 2021. According to Ukraine’s Ukrinform news agency, Skibitsky estimated Russia may possess at least 10 more such missiles for testing before beginning mass production.

The unprecedented speed details emerged as NATO announced an emergency meeting with Ukraine scheduled for Tuesday in Brussels to discuss the strike. While Ukrainian officials initially suggested the weapon might have been an intercontinental ballistic missile, both U.S. officials and NATO confirmed Putin’s description of it as an intermediate-range ballistic missile.

Putin characterized the strike as a warning to Western nations against supporting Ukraine’s war effort, as the conflict approaches its three-year mark amid increased Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory using Western-supplied long-range missiles.

Trudeau Announces Tax Relief, Cash Payments as Canada’s Election Season Nears

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced sweeping consumer relief measures Thursday, including a temporary federal sales tax suspension and direct payments to millions of Canadians, as his Liberal government confronts mounting public dissatisfaction over living costs ahead of a potential election.

“Our government can’t set prices at the checkout, but we can put more money in people’s pockets,” Trudeau said during a Toronto news conference, unveiling plans to distribute CA$250 (US$107,440) checks to an estimated 18.7 million Canadians who earned up to CA$150,000 in 2023.

The relief package includes a two-month suspension of federal goods and services tax from December 14 to February 15 on various consumer items, including children’s clothing, shoes, toys, diapers, restaurant meals, alcoholic beverages, and video game consoles. Christmas trees and various snack foods are also included in the tax holiday.

Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre dismissed the announcement as a “two month temporary tax trick,” arguing it fails to offset planned increases in carbon taxes. The measures come as Trudeau’s Liberals trail the Conservatives by 13 percentage points in recent polling, with Nanos showing Conservative support at 39% compared to the Liberals’ 26%.

“Politically, it’s probably too little too late and it feels like a desperate move on the part of an unpopular government,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. “It’s also bad public policy, at least from a fiscal standpoint.”

Trudeau, who has confirmed he will lead his party into the next election, faces the prospect of becoming the first Canadian prime minister in over a century to fail to win four consecutive terms. The election must be called by October 2024, though it could come as early as this fall.

The son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who rode a wave of liberal resurgence to power in 2015 after nearly a decade of Conservative rule, now faces widespread public frustration over post-pandemic economic challenges. The latest Nanos poll of 1,047 respondents shows the depth of his political challenges, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

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NATO, Ukraine Call Emergency Meeting After Russia Deploys New Hypersonic Weapon

NATO and Ukraine will convene emergency talks Tuesday following Russia’s deployment of an experimental hypersonic missile against Ukrainian targets, marking a significant escalation in the 33-month conflict that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned Friday is “entering a decisive phase.”

President Vladimir Putin used a nationally televised address to announce Russia’s first combat use of the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile, claiming Western air defense systems cannot intercept the weapon. Ukrainian military intelligence reported the missile reached Mach 11 speeds and carried six warheads, each containing six submunitions, in Thursday’s strike on Dnipro.

“No one in the world has such weapons,” Putin told military and defense industry officials Friday, announcing the missile’s entry into production. “Sooner or later other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development. But we have this system now. And this is important.”

The Russian leader warned that multiple conventional-warhead Oreshnik strikes could match the devastation of nuclear weapons, a claim echoed by Strategic Missile Forces commander Gen. Sergei Karakayev. Putin said testing would continue “including in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia.”

Ukrainian authorities canceled parliament’s Friday session and tightened security around government buildings in Kyiv. “Local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, though President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office maintained normal operations under standard security protocols.

The Pentagon confirmed the weapon was an experimental intermediate-range missile based on the RS-26 Rubezh ICBM. Ukrainian intelligence said it was launched from Russia’s Kapustin Yar test range, flying 15 minutes before striking Dnipro’s Pivdenmash plant, a former Soviet ICBM facility.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the EU leader closest to Moscow, suggested U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely require direct American involvement. “These missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel,” he said on state radio, warning that recent changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine shouldn’t be dismissed as “a bluff.”

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, visiting Kyiv Friday, called the strike “an escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.” He pledged continued Czech military support with no restrictions on Ukraine’s use of supplied weapons.

Overnight, Russian forces also struck the city of Sumy with Iranian-designed Shahed drones packed with shrapnel, killing two people and wounding 13. Regional head Volodymyr Artiukh told Ukrainian media the weapons were “used to destroy people, not to destroy objects.”

UK Imposes Sanctions on Isabel dos Santos Amid Corruption Crackdown

The United Kingdom has sanctioned Isabel dos Santos, a billionaire businesswoman from Angola and the daughter of a former president, as part of a broader initiative to combat money laundering under the new Labour government’s agenda.

The sanctions also extend to Dmytro Firtash, an exiled Ukrainian oligarch, and Aivars Lembergs, one of Latvia’s wealthiest individuals. British authorities have described the three individuals as “notorious kleptocrats,” implementing asset freezes in the UK and imposing travel bans against them.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated that these individuals have “selfishly deprived their fellow citizens of much-needed funding for education, healthcare, and infrastructure,” all for their own personal enrichment. The government claims dos Santos misused her influence at the Angolan state oil company Sonangol and the telecommunications firm Unitel to embezzle at least $440 million.

Isabel dos Santos, who is often referred to as Africa’s first female billionaire, has faced significant legal challenges since the rise of a new president in Angola in 2017. In recent years, she has encountered numerous corruption charges across various jurisdictions. Dos Santos has consistently denied the allegations, asserting that she is the target of a politically motivated vendetta.

In response to the sanctions, dos Santos labeled them as “incorrect and unjustified,” claiming she was not afforded a chance to defend herself and stated her intention to appeal the decision.

Mexican Cartel Leaders Admit Running Drugs Into US

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Two major figures in Mexican drug trafficking organizations faced American justice this week as Juan Gerardo Treviño-Chavez, former leader of the Cartel del Noreste, pleaded guilty to multiple trafficking charges and authorities announced the capture of a high-ranking member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in California.

Treviño-Chavez, 42, known as “El Huevo,” admitted guilt Tuesday to 15 drug trafficking charges in federal court in San Antonio, acknowledging operations that spanned Mexico and crossed the U.S. border. He had led the Cartel del Noreste from its 2016 split from the Los Zetas until his March 2022 capture, controlling territory including the strategic border city of Nuevo Laredo, opposite Laredo, Texas.

In a separate development, U.S. authorities arrested Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa, 37, son-in-law of notorious Jalisco cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (“El Mencho”), in Riverside, California. The Department of Justice charged Gutierrez-Ochoa with international drug trafficking and money laundering, alleging he orchestrated large-scale methamphetamine and cocaine imports into the United States.

The arrests come as Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw of Texas pushes for the creation of a specialized congressional committee to address cartel threats amid growing calls for military action against Mexican crime syndicates. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to escalate anti-cartel efforts, recently appointing three hardline officials to implement his border security agenda.

The developments highlight increasing U.S. pressure on Mexican drug trafficking organizations as border security emerges as a central focus of incoming administration policies.

Fugitive Zambian Lawmaker Arrested in Zimbabwe After Months-Long Manhunt

Zambian authorities announced Wednesday the arrest of fugitive parliamentarian Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda in Zimbabwe, ending a months-long manhunt that began with his alleged escape through a hospital window while facing robbery charges.

Home Affairs Minister Jack Mwiimbu confirmed Banda’s capture in a Harare apartment, where Zimbabwean police found the lawmaker who had evaded authorities since August. His escape from Chipata Central Hospital, where he was under police and prison guard, had prompted Zambian authorities to issue a 2 million kwacha ($72,000) bounty.

The case has intensified political tensions in Zambia, with opposition figures claiming persecution of allies connected to former President Edgar Lungu. Banda, an independent MP since 2021 with previous ties to Lungu, faces charges of aggravated robbery involving property worth 12,000 kwacha ($430) from 2015, allegations he denies.

“We are urging the Zambian government that they should not join other African countries that are known to go to other jurisdictions and pick and extract a citizen they are looking for committing crimes,” Patriotic Front spokesman Emmanuel Mwamba told the BBC, characterizing the arrest as an “abduction” requiring proper extradition protocols.

The arrest follows a complex series of events beginning in May when Banda reportedly disappeared, claiming abduction upon his reappearance. That incident led to the arrest of three opposition politicians and a civil rights activist, with some accusing the state of orchestrating the alleged kidnapping – charges the government denied.

Mwiimbu rejected suggestions of political motivation behind the prosecution, noting the charges predated Banda’s parliamentary service. “As a sitting member of parliament, we expect Mr Banda to uphold respect for Zambia’s justice system and rule of law,” he said in a statement to the BBC.

Interpol’s Harare office confirmed Banda’s custody and has requested extradition documentation. During preliminary questioning, Banda reportedly denied the charges, claiming persecution due to his connections with former President Lungu. Zambian police indicated they are preparing the necessary extradition papers.

The government expressed particular interest in investigating who facilitated Banda’s escape and subsequent visits by his wife to Harare. Minister Mwiimbu acknowledged Zimbabwe’s cooperation in the case, while opposition leaders warned of an “emerging and worrying scenario” in Zambian politics.