YouTube star Jake Paul thoroughly outboxed an aging Mike Tyson on Friday night, winning a lopsided unanimous decision over the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion in their exhibition bout at AT&T Stadium.
Paul, 27, dominated the eight-round contest, with judges scoring the fight 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73 in his favor. The social media celebrity-turned-boxer utilized superior speed and movement to control the action against Tyson, who showed little of the explosive power that once made him boxing’s most feared fighter.
The decisive victory came just one day after a heated weigh-in where Tyson slapped Paul across the face, adding drama to the already controversial matchup. Despite Paul’s pre-fight promises of a knockout, he was unable to stop the former undisputed heavyweight champion, though he had Tyson in trouble during a sustained attack in the third round.
Final punch statistics highlighted Paul’s dominance, as he landed 78 of 278 punches thrown, while Tyson connected on just 18 of his 97 attempts. The former champion, looking every bit his age, struggled to land meaningful shots throughout the contest.
Referee Mark Calo-oy watches US retired pro-boxer Mike Tyson (R) and US YouTuber/boxer Jake Paul (L) fight during the heavyweight boxing bout at The Pavilion at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, November 15, 2024. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)
In a show of respect, Paul bowed to Tyson in the closing seconds of the final round, acknowledging the legend’s status in the sport despite the one-sided nature of their encounter.
The result adds another notable victory to Paul’s unconventional boxing career while raising questions about the wisdom of allowing aging boxing legends to return to the ring, even in exhibition matches.
Russia notified Austria Friday it will suspend natural gas deliveries through Ukraine starting Saturday, marking a symbolic end to Moscow’s decades-long role as Europe’s primary gas supplier and highlighting the continent’s dramatic shift away from Russian energy dependence.
The announcement affects Austria, the main recipient of Russian gas through Ukraine, leaving only Hungary and Slovakia as significant customers of Russian gas in Europe. The development represents a stark contrast to 2022, when Russia supplied 40% of the European Union’s gas needs before its invasion of Ukraine.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer moved to reassure the public about the country’s energy security. “No home will go cold … gas-storage facilities are sufficiently full,” he told reporters, noting that Austria had anticipated and prepared for this development.
OMV, Austria’s largest energy supplier, confirmed it has secured alternative gas imports through Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands to meet customer demands. The company disclosed the supply termination following a contractual dispute with Russian state-owned Gazprom.
The suspension comes as Ukraine prepares to end its transit agreement with Gazprom by year’s end, aiming to deprive Moscow of revenues that Kyiv says fund the ongoing war. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha characterized Russia’s action as weaponizing energy but expressed confidence in Europe’s ability to ensure energy security.
“The era of Europe relying on Russian gas is over,” Sybiha wrote on social media platform X. “Time to fully cut Russian energy profits — and war funding.”
The timing carries historical significance, as Austria was among the first Western European nations to purchase Soviet gas, signing a contract in 1968 just months before the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. Russia shipped approximately 15 billion cubic meters of gas via Ukraine in 2023, representing only 8% of peak Russian flows to Europe in 2018-2019.
The development coincided with the first phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz since December 2022, with the Kremlin stating Russia remains open to energy deals if Berlin shows interest.
Ulrich Schmid, professor of Eastern European studies at the University of St. Gallen, suggested the timing may reflect Moscow’s increased confidence following Donald Trump’s presidential election victory and his pledges to quickly end the Ukraine war.
EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson assured that alternative supplies are available for affected countries. “We have been very clear that alternative supply is available and there is no need for the continuation of Russian gas transiting via Ukraine to Europe,” Simson told Reuters at a UN climate conference in Azerbaijan.
European gas markets appeared unruffled by the news, with the benchmark price declining slightly to 45.72 euros per megawatt hour at trading close.
The International Energy Agency reports that in 2023, the Ukraine transit route supplied 65% of gas demand in Austria and its eastern neighbors Hungary and Slovakia. Hungary has largely shifted to importing Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline beneath the Black Sea, while Slovakia continues to receive supplies through Ukraine.
This transition marks a fundamental reshaping of European energy security, with the continent increasingly turning to diversified sources, including U.S. liquefied natural gas, as it moves away from its historical dependence on Russian supplies.
A woman testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, having sex with a minor at a 2017 Orlando house party, her attorney revealed Friday, adding new complexity to the former congressman’s pending confirmation.
“My client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Rep. Gaetz having sex with a minor at a house party in Orlando in 2017,” attorney Joel Leppard said. He added that he represents two witnesses who have provided testimony to the committee, telling NBC News, “The American people deserve to know the truth about the person slated to become the top law enforcement officer in the country.”
Gaetz, 42, who resigned his Florida congressional seat Wednesday following Trump’s nomination announcement, has consistently denied all sexual misconduct allegations. His spokesperson responded to the new allegations by questioning the Justice Department’s previous investigation: “Merrick Garland’s DOJ cleared Matt Gaetz and didn’t charge him. Are you alleging Garland is part of a cover-up?”
The former congressman was previously investigated by the FBI regarding sex-trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old but was not charged. Gaetz has maintained he was the target of an extortion plot. The federal investigation concluded last year.
The House Ethics Committee launched its own investigation in April 2021, initially deferring to the Justice Department’s request before reauthorizing the probe in 2023. The panel was scheduled to meet Friday to discuss releasing its report but canceled the meeting Thursday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday he plans to request the ethics panel withhold its report, arguing that releasing findings about a former member would constitute a “terrible breach of protocol.” However, several Republican senators have indicated they want access to the committee’s findings before proceeding with confirmation votes.
The situation is further complicated by Trump’s calls for the Republican Senate majority to allow recess appointments, potentially circumventing the traditional confirmation process. Gaetz, who represented Florida’s 1st Congressional District covering part of the Florida Panhandle, had been re-elected in November before his resignation to accept the nomination.
A former Florida state representative and law firm attorney, Gaetz served in Congress from 2017 until his resignation this week. The House Ethics Committee, a bipartisan panel of 10 members, has not indicated how it will proceed with its report now that Gaetz has left Congress.
The allegations and surrounding controversy pose significant challenges for Gaetz’s confirmation prospects as the nation’s top law enforcement official, with heightened scrutiny expected from both parties during the confirmation process.
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on November 14, 2024 shows X (formerly Twitter) CEO Elon Musk (L) on September 13, 2023 and Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani on October 2, 2024. - Elon Musk, the tech billionaire closely allied with US President-elect Donald Trump, met Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in a bid to defuse tensions in the next administration, The New York Times reported November 14, 2024. (Photo by Mandel NGAN and Bryan R. SMITH / AFP)
Iran’s diplomatic outreach to Elon Musk, a key adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, marks what appears to be a calculated attempt to ease tensions with the incoming administration, even as both nations grapple with allegations of assassination plots and nuclear disputes.
Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met with Musk on Monday in New York, according to a U.S. official briefed on the meeting. The discussion, which Iran initiated, covered Tehran’s nuclear program, its support for anti-Israel groups, and potential U.S.-Iranian relations improvements, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the non-governmental meeting.
The diplomatic overture comes as Trump assembles a foreign policy team expected to take a hard line on Iran, including Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state and Representative Mike Waltz as national security adviser. Intelligence officials have indicated Iran opposed Trump’s reelection, viewing him as likely to escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The meeting’s timing is particularly significant given recent revelations of alleged Iranian plots against Trump. The Justice Department this month charged a man who claimed an Iranian government official tasked him with planning Trump’s assassination in September. Iran’s foreign ministry denied the allegations.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran sent a written message to the Biden administration on October 14 pledging not to attempt to kill Trump, responding to U.S. warnings that such an action would be considered an act of war.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has long declared its commitment to pursuing Martyr Soleimani’s assassination through legal and judicial avenues, while adhering fully to the recognized principles of international law,” Iran’s U.N. mission said in a statement, referring to the Iranian general killed in a Trump-ordered strike.
The complex diplomatic dance reflects Iran’s dual approach: while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei consistently expresses hostility toward Trump, the country’s reformist president has maintained openness to negotiations for sanctions relief.
“The American people re-elected President Trump because they trust him to lead our country and restore peace through strength around the world. When he returns to the White House, he will take the necessary action to do just that,” said Karoline Leavitt, a Trump transition spokesperson.
The meeting with Musk, recently named as an adviser on government restructuring to Trump’s incoming administration, occurred away from Iran’s U.N. mission. The Trump transition team has neither confirmed nor denied the meeting, first reported by The New York Times.
Federal officials describe ongoing Iranian efforts to target U.S. government officials on American soil, including a separate case last summer involving a Pakistani man with Iranian connections charged in a murder-for-hire plot against American officials.
The diplomatic maneuvering unfolds against the backdrop of Trump’s previous administration ending the Iran nuclear deal, reimposing sanctions, and ordering Soleimani’s killing—actions that prompted Iranian vows of revenge but now appear to be giving way to more nuanced diplomatic approaches.
Two former Missouri police officers face federal indictments in separate but similar cases for allegedly pulling over women drivers and illegally searching their phones for nude photos, prosecutors announced this week.
David McKnight, 39, a former Missouri State Highway Patrol officer, and Julian Alcala, 29, previously with the Florissant Police Department, were charged with violating women’s civil rights and destroying evidence. Their cases, while unrelated, reveal strikingly similar patterns of alleged misconduct.
McKnight allegedly targeted nine women between September 2023 and August 19, typically conducting traffic stops and demanding to search their phones under the pretense of verifying identity or insurance information. Prosecutors say he used his personal phone to photograph intimate images he discovered during these searches.
The Highway Patrol arrested McKnight on August 21, leading to his resignation five days later. “Patrol employees are held to high standards and if it is determined that those standards were not met, they are held accountable,” patrol Capt. Scott White said in an email. McKnight pleaded not guilty during Thursday’s court appearance.
Alcala’s alleged misconduct was more extensive, involving 20 women between February 6 and May 18, with five incidents occurring on a single day. The indictment states he confiscated phones under the guise of confirming insurance and registration, then searched for and copied intimate photos and videos.
“We are disgusted at this behavior, which is a complete betrayal of the values we uphold and in no way reflects the professionalism and integrity of our dedicated officers,” Florissant police said in a statement. Alcala, who joined the suburban St. Louis department in January 2023, resigned in June amid an FBI investigation.
He also faces four civil lawsuits against himself and the city of Florissant. Neither officer’s court records list current legal representation.
The cases highlight growing concerns about law enforcement abuse of authority during traffic stops and unauthorized access to personal devices. Both officers are accused of using their positions to violate citizens’ constitutional rights while destroying evidence to cover their tracks.
Three daughters of Malcolm X filed a $100 million lawsuit Friday against the CIA, FBI, and New York Police Department, alleging the agencies were complicit in their father’s 1965 assassination and engaged in a decades-long cover-up of government involvement.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court by the daughters and Malcolm X’s estate, claims law enforcement agencies knew of and participated in the assassination plot while failing to prevent the civil rights leader’s death at the Audubon Ballroom.
“They did not know who murdered Malcolm X, why he was murdered, the level of NYPD, FBI and CIA orchestration, the identity of the governmental agents who conspired to ensure his demise, or who fraudulently covered-up their role,” the lawsuit states, describing decades of uncertainty endured by Malcolm X’s wife Betty Shabazz and their family.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, urged federal and city officials to “learn all the dastardly deeds that were done by their predecessors and try to right these historic wrongs” during a morning news conference.
The lawsuit alleges a “corrupt, unlawful, and unconstitutional” relationship between law enforcement and “ruthless killers,” claiming authorities deliberately removed Malcolm X’s security detail days before the assassination and withdrew police protection from inside the ballroom where he was killed. It further alleges federal agencies had undercover personnel present during the attack but failed to intervene.
Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, and later known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was 39 when he was gunned down on February 21, 1965. The case has remained controversial, with two of three men convicted in his death being exonerated in 2021 after investigators found evidence problems and determined authorities had withheld crucial information.
The family claims the lawsuit’s timing stems from the defendants’ decades-long concealment of information, including the identities of undercover “informants, agents and provocateurs” and their knowledge of pre-assassination planning.
The NYPD and CIA have not responded to requests for comment. Nicholas Biase, speaking for the Department of Justice, declined comment, while the FBI cited its standard practice of not commenting on litigation.
The legal action follows the family’s announcement of their intention to sue last year and comes amid renewed scrutiny of historical civil rights cases and government surveillance of activists during the civil rights era.
Thick smoke poured from the roof of a 44-story luxury apartment building in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards development Thursday, prompting a massive emergency response before firefighters contained the blaze with no reported injuries.
The fire broke out around 11:30 a.m. on the roof of The Set, an upscale residential tower on 10th Avenue between 35th and 36th Streets where studio apartments command monthly rents exceeding $5,000. About 80 firefighters responded to the scene, the New York City Fire Department reported.
Emergency personnel temporarily closed 10th Avenue from West 34th Street to West 36th Street as they battled the blaze. Social media videos showed dense smoke billowing from the top of the building, visible across Manhattan’s West Side.
Hudson Yards management confirmed the incident’s resolution in a statement shared by City Council member Erik Bottcher: “Earlier today a smoke condition occurred at 455 10th Avenue. The situation has been fully contained and there are no injuries. The FDNY has called an ‘all clear’ and is departing the scene.”
“Our teams remain in close coordination with the FDNY and NYPD and we thank them for their swift response,” the statement continued.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Emergency crews cleared the scene approximately two hours after the initial reports.
Residents of central Port-au-Prince, Haiti, fled their homes Thursday as gang violence spread to one of the capital’s few remaining areas not already under criminal control, marking a significant expansion of gang territory amid deepening political chaos.
Reuters witnesses observed crowds rushing through streets of the Solino and Nazon neighborhoods, carrying suitcases, backpacks, and small children while heavily loaded vehicles sped past. The exodus followed reports of a police officer’s death in the area, according to local media.
The territorial expansion by the Viv Ansanm gang coalition comes as Haiti’s political leadership faces fresh turmoil. The transitional presidential council this week removed Prime Minister Garry Conille after just months in office, while internal council disputes have hampered security initiatives.
The International Organization for Migration reports that more than 700,000 Haitians have been forced from their homes during the extended conflict. The violence has claimed thousands of lives amid widespread reports of sexual assault, ransom kidnappings, and extortion. Approximately 6,000 people now face famine-level hunger conditions.
The deteriorating security situation prompted the United States to impose a month-long ban on U.S. commercial flights to Haiti after aircraft were struck by gunfire.
While the immediate number of people fleeing Solino and Nazon remains unclear, the neighborhoods rapidly emptied as gang presence increased. The expansion represents a significant shift in Port-au-Prince’s power dynamics, with criminal groups now controlling most of the capital while a long-delayed international security mission has made little progress.
The crisis continues to deepen as gang coalitions cement their hold over the Caribbean nation, exploiting political instability and weak governance to expand their territorial control and influence.
A fire swept through a mental health care facility in northern Spain early Friday, killing at least 10 elderly residents and critically injuring two others, authorities said.
The blaze began around 5 a.m. (0400 GMT) in one of the rooms at the Jardines de Villafranca residence, a care home specializing in mental health services, according to Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in Aragon region. Firefighters battled the flames for approximately two hours before extinguishing them.
“The doors were closed, they prevented the fire from spreading. The tragedy could have been worse,” said Aragon regional president Jorge Azcon after inspecting the damaged building. All victims were elderly residents of the facility.
Firefighter chief Eduardo Sanchez reported that while the fire remained contained to a single room, the fatalities resulted from smoke inhalation. One survivor remains in critical condition and another in serious condition, Azcon confirmed.
Local mayor Volga Ramirez said several other residents received treatment primarily for smoke inhalation. Officials are now prioritizing the transfer of uninjured residents to another care facility in nearby Huesca while authorities investigate the fire’s cause.
The incident represents one of Spain’s deadliest care home fires in recent years. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the blaze.
A Russian military court sentenced a 43-year-old theatre director and mother of two to eight years in a penal colony Thursday for posting anti-war comments online, including calls for President Vladimir Putin’s assassination, marking another harsh punishment in the Kremlin’s ongoing crackdown on war critics.
Anastasia Berezhinskaya was found guilty of two wartime censorship laws.Credit: X/@tvrain
Anastasia Berezhinskaya was convicted under multiple wartime censorship laws, including discrediting the Russian army, spreading false information, and justifying terrorism. Her case joins more than 1,000 criminal prosecutions for anti-war speech in Russia, according to rights group OVD-Info, with over 20,000 protesters detained since the invasion began.
The Moscow-based director posted dozens of messages on social media platform VKontakte in the months following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. She accused Putin, the Russian army, and the Interior Ministry of conducting “genocide” against Ukrainians.
Court documents show that on May 14, 2022, Berezhinskaya posted more than three dozen times, condemning Putin for civilian deaths in Ukraine and explicitly calling for his death. “Shoot that stupid bastard Putin, how many more murders of civilians do we have to bear?” she wrote. “Wipe him off the face of the earth.”
Moscow denies targeting civilians in what it calls its “special military operation,” despite thousands of documented civilian casualties in Russian attacks.
The sentence highlights escalating penalties for war criticism in Russia. Earlier this week, a Moscow court handed down a five-and-a-half-year prison term to a 68-year-old pediatrician after a patient’s mother reported her comments about Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
According to independent news outlet Mediazona, Berezhinskaya admitted guilt to charges of spreading “fakes” and discrediting the army but only partially acknowledged the terrorism justification charge. The court documents noted she suffers from a mixed personality disorder and has two children, ages eight and ten, and a husband with epilepsy.
“Your Honour, I have nothing to say, nothing to add. I will accept any decision you make,” Berezhinskaya said in her final statement to the court, as reported by Mediazona.
The case represents another significant punishment for criticizing Putin, who at 72 is poised to become Russia’s longest-serving leader since Catherine the Great in the 18th century. Reuters could not immediately reach Berezhinskaya’s lawyer to confirm whether an appeal would be filed.
