Iran&#8217;s authorities indicated on Saturday they could intensify their crackdown on the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years, with the Revolutionary Guards blaming unrest on terrorists and vowing to safeguard the governing system.
A day after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a new warning that the United States could intervene, there were fresh reports of violence across the country, although an internet blackout made it difficult to assess the full extent of unrest.
The exiled son of Iran&#8217;s last shah, who has emerged as a prominent voice in the fragmented opposition, made his strongest call yet for the protests to broaden into a revolt to topple the clerical rulers.
State media said a municipal building was set on fire in Karaj, west of Tehran, and blamed &#8220;rioters.&#8221; State TV broadcast footage of funerals of members of the security forces it said were killed in protests in the cities of Shiraz, Qom and Hamedan.
Footage on social media on Friday showed large crowds gathered in Tehran and fires lit in the street at night. Reuters was able to confirm the location by comparing landmarks with satellite imagery.
Protests have spread across Iran since December 28, beginning in response to soaring inflation, and quickly turning political with protesters demanding an end to clerical rule. Authorities accuse the U.S. and Israel of fomenting unrest.
Iranian rights group HRANA says at least 50 protesters and 15 security personnel have been killed, and some 2,300 arrested.
ARMY SAYS &#8216;TERRORIST GROUPS&#8217; SEEK TO UNDERMINE SECURITY
A witness in western Iran reached by phone said the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) were deployed and opening fire in the area from which the witness was speaking, declining to be identified for safety.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the arrest of 100 &#8220;armed rioters&#8221; in the town of Baharestan near Tehran.
In a statement broadcast by state TV, the IRGC &#8211; an elite force which has suppressed previous bouts of unrest &#8211; accused &#8220;terrorists&#8221; of targeting military and law enforcement bases over the past two nights. It said several citizens and security personnel had been killed and public and private property set on fire.
Safeguarding the achievements of the Islamic revolution and maintaining security was a &#8220;red line,&#8221; it added.
The regular military also issued a statement saying it would &#8220;protect and safeguard national interests, the country’s strategic infrastructure, and public property.&#8221;
PAHLAVI SAYS GOAL IS TO PREPARE TO &#8216;SEIZE CITY CENTRES&#8217;
In a video posted on X, U.S.-based Reza Pahlavi, 65, whose father was toppled as Iran&#8217;s shah in the 1979 revolution, said the Islamic Republic would be brought &#8220;to its knees.&#8221; He called for people to seize the centres of their towns, and said he was preparing to return soon to Iran.
&#8220;Our goal is no longer merely to come into the streets; the goal is to prepare to seize city centres and hold them,&#8221; he said.
Trump said on Thursday he was not inclined to meet Pahlavi, a sign that he was waiting to see how the crisis plays out before backing an opposition leader.
Iran&#8217;s rulers have weathered repeated bouts of unrest, including student protests in 1999, over a disputed election in 2009, against economic hardships in 2019, and in 2022 over the death in custody of a woman accused of violating dress codes.
Trump, who joined Israel to strike Iran&#8217;s nuclear sites last summer, warned Tehran last week the U.S. could come to the protesters&#8217; aid. On Friday, he said: &#8220;You better not start shooting because we&#8217;ll start shooting too.&#8221;
&#8220;I just hope the protesters in Iran are going to be safe, because that&#8217;s a very dangerous place right now,&#8221; he added.
He has repeatedly included Iran in lists of places where he could intervene next, after sending forces to seize the president of Venezuela a week ago.
Some protesters on the streets have shouted slogans in support of Pahlavi, such as &#8220;Long live the shah,&#8221; although most chants have called for an end to rule by the clerics or demanded action to fix the economy.
DOCTOR SAYS PEOPLE BADLY BEATEN, KILLED
A doctor in northwestern Iran said that since Friday large numbers of injured protesters had been brought to hospitals. Some were badly beaten, suffering head injuries and broken legs and arms, as well as deep cuts.
At least 20 people in one hospital had been shot with live ammunition, five of whom later died.
On Friday, Khamenei accused protesters of acting on behalf of Trump, saying rioters were attacking public properties and warning that Tehran would not tolerate people acting as &#8220;mercenaries for foreigners.&#8221;
The IRGC&#8217;s public relations office said three members of the Basij security force were killed and five wounded during clashes with what it described as “armed rioters” in Gachsaran, in the southwest.
Another security officer was stabbed to death in Hamedan, in western Iran. The son of a senior officer, Brigadier General Nourali Shoushtari, was killed in the Ahmadabad area of Mashhad, in the northeast. Two other security personnel were killed over the past two nights in Shushtar, in Khuzestan province.
Authorities have described protests over the economy as legitimate while condemning what they call violent rioters over the past two weeks.
(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom. Writing by Tom PerryEditing by Mark Potter and Peter Graff)

Iran

Iran Authorities Signal Intensified Crackdown As Unrest Grows

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Donald Trump

Global Politics

World

(Reuters) &#8211; Two people were killed, and at least six others were injured in a shooting during an altercation outside a funeral at a church in the Utah capital of Salt Lake City, police said on Wednesday, as they launched a manhunt for suspects.
The situation was still fluid after Wednesday&#8217;s initial report of the incident in the parking lot outside a chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a police spokesperson said.
&#8220;Out in the parking lot, there was some sort of altercation and that&#8217;s when shots were fired,&#8221; Glen Mills told reporters, adding that a funeral service was being held in the church at the time.
Among at least eight adult victims, two died of their injuries, the police said, while three of the survivors were critical and the medical condition of the rest was not known.
Police said they launched a manhunt for the suspects and aimed to interview witnesses among the dozens of people who attended the funeral. The FBI said it was offering assistance.
&#8220;We don&#8217;t believe this was a targeted attack against a religion or anything like that,&#8221; a police officer told a later press conference on live television.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the Mormon church, follows the teachings of Jesus Christ and the 19th-century prophecies of Joseph Smith.
In a statement, it said it was cooperating with law enforcement after a serious incident outside a church meeting-house as a memorial service was being held in the chapel.
&#8220;We extend prayers for all who have been impacted by this tragedy and express deep concern that any sacred space intended for worship should be subjected to violence of any kind,&#8221; it added.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Clarence Fernandez)
&nbsp;

Violence Strikes Salt Lake City Church As Shooting Leaves Two Dead

Church

Crime

Mormonism

Salt Lake City

U.S.

Utah

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is launching its once-daily Wegovy pill in the United States on Monday, offering doses of 1.5 milligrams and 4 mg at $149 per month for self-paying patients in an intensely competitive weight-loss drug market.
The pill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month, a boon to Novo Nordisk as it looks to regain ground lost to U.S. rival Eli Lilly. Lilly has previously said it expects a decision in March for its own weight-loss pill.
Novo&#8217;s pill will also be sold in 9 mg and a higher long-term dose of 25 mg. The two higher doses will be priced at $299 for a month&#8217;s supply, while the 4 mg dose will rise to $199 from April 15, the drugmaker&#8217;s website shows.
The Wegovy pill could attract new consumers as Novo looks to revive its fortunes after profit warnings and sliding shares last year. The treatment offers more flexibility and an alternative for those who dislike needles used in injectable medication.
The once-daily pill is also under review by other regulators, with a UK decision due by year-end.
Denmark-listed shares of the drugmaker closed 5% higher on Monday. U.S.-listed shares of Novo were up 4.6%, while Lilly slipped 3.5% in afternoon trading.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible c-link--underline" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
The success of Novo&#8217;s pill will be tied to attracting cash-paying consumers who cannot get insurance coverage, a stark shift from the dominant business model where drug pricing is managed through health insurance plans.
Novo said the treatment would be available through U.S. pharmacies CVS and Costco, as well as through telehealth providers including Ro, LifeMD, WeightWatchers, GoodRx and its own NovoCare Pharmacy.
Shares of the telehealth firms rose between 3% and 14% in afternoon trading.
The low 1.5 mg dose is the starter dose for the Wegovy pill, which is made up of semaglutide, the same active ingredient found in its blockbuster injectable weight-loss and diabetes treatments marketed under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic.
Novo also offers the 1.5 mg dose for its oral semaglutide drug for type 2 diabetes, sold as Rybelsus.
The remaining doses of the Wegovy pill will be available for patients by the end of this week, Novo said.
Lilly plans to cap higher doses of its obesity pill, if approved, at $399 a month for repeat cash buyers. Lilly&#8217;s injectable drug Zepbound has largely been ahead of Novo&#8217;s Wegovy in weekly U.S. prescriptions over the past year.
U.S. list prices for the injectables are about $1,000 per month or more. Both companies have reduced prices of their injectables for customers paying in cash rather than using health insurance.
Novo began selling its Wegovy injection at $349 a month to cash payers in November.
Under a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, Novo and Lilly also agreed to offer starter doses of their weight-loss pills at $149 per month for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees, and to cash payers via the White House&#8217;s new direct-to-consumer TrumpRx site, which is expected to be launched this month.
Novo had faced repeated supply shortages after launching its Wegovy injection in the U.S. But having built up supplies for its new pill for some time to prevent similar challenges, Novo said it was confident it could meet supply needs.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen, Bhanvi Satija and Maggie Fick in London, writing by Anna Ringstrom; Editing by Terje Solsvik, Adam Jourdan, Bernadette Baum and Alan Barona)

Pills

No More ‘Fat Shot’: Wegovy Now Launching In Pill Form

Health

Obesity

Ozempic

Pharmaceuticals

Jan 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Wall Street climbed on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting an all-time high thanks to surging financial shares, while energy firms jumped after a U.S. military strike that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Investors bet Washington&#8217;s move against Venezuela&#8217;s leadership would allow U.S. firms access to the world&#8217;s largest oil reserves. A U.S. embargo on Venezuelan oil remained in full effect, U.S. President Donald Trump said.
The S&amp;P 500 energy index rose to its highest since March 2025 and was last up 2.5%, with heavyweights Exxon Mobil rising 2.4% and Chevron jumping 5.8%.
Weapon manufacturers also advanced after Washington&#8217;s military action. Lockheed Martin rose 2.8% and General Dynamics climbed 3.2%, while the S&amp;P 500 aerospace and defense index rose 1.8% to a record high.
&#8220;Energy stocks are really benefiting from the expectation that President Trump is intending to send them in to do more investment in Venezuela and ultimately make more money for themselves,&#8221; said Rob Haworth, senior investment strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Seattle.
&#8220;The lack of permanent boots on the ground, the fact that we&#8217;re not permanently engaged, means the broader equity markets are able to set aside what might have been fears of a prolonged engagement,&#8221; Haworth said.
Tesla climbed 4.2% after seven straight sessions of losses. Nvidia dipped 0.6%.
The S&amp;P 500 was up 0.76% at 6,910.73 points.
The Nasdaq gained 0.76% to 23,411.49 points, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.64% at 49,174.91 points.
The S&amp;P 500 financials index rose 2.7% as investors looked to upcoming quarterly reports. Analysts on average see S&amp;P 500 financial companies growing their earnings 6.7% year-over-year in the December quarter.
Goldman Sachs rose 4.8% and JPMorgan Chase added 3.4%, with both banks hitting record highs.
&#8220;The mood has been favoring financial stocks in recent days and as people look beyond tech, this is a sector many are choosing to look toward,&#8221; said Steve Sosnick, chief market analyst at Interactive Brokers.
Wall Street&#8217;s main indexes posted double-digit gains in 2025 for the third consecutive year, a run last seen in 2021.
Data showed U.S. manufacturing contracted more than expected in December, extending a 10-month slump.
The spotlight will now be on the monthly nonfarm payrolls on Friday, which could influence the Federal Reserve&#8217;s monetary policy in 2026.
Markets are pricing in about 60 basis points of interest rate easing this year, according to LSEG.
Cryptocurrency-linked shares advanced as bitcoin hit a more than three-week high.
Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, climbed 4.6%, while Coinbase gained 8.6%. Goldman Sachs upgraded Coinbase to &#8220;buy&#8221; from &#8220;neutral.&#8221;
Advancing issues outnumbered falling ones within the S&amp;P 500 by a 2.4-to-one ratio.
The S&amp;P 500 posted 58 new highs and 10 new lows; the Nasdaq recorded 103 new highs and 45 new lows.
(Reporting by Purvi Agarwal and Nikhil Sharma in Bengaluru, and by Noel Randewich in San Francisco; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and David Gregorio)

Stock Market

Dow Hits Record, Energy Stocks Surge After U.S. Strikes Venezuela

Economy

Nicolas Maduro

Trump Administration

Venezuela

<div class="mh-auto overflow-hidden mh-none--print" data-qa-component="collapsable-content">
<div class="font-knowledge regular line-height-1-5 color-black f6 pt16 pb20 border-bottom border-gray-22 story-copy" dir="auto" data-qa-component="item-story">
Two people who ran a Swiss bar that burst into flames during a New Year&#8217;s Eve party, killing 40, are under criminal investigation on suspicion of offenses including homicide by negligence, prosecutors said on Saturday.
Two days after the fire, in which 119 people suffered injuries including severe burns, officials were still trying to identify many of those killed and attention turned to how one of Switzerland&#8217;s worst tragedies could have occurred.
The bar&#8217;s two operators are suspected of offenses including homicide by negligence, causing bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence, prosecutors in Valais, the canton that is home to the bar in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana, said in a statement. They did not name the pair.
&#8220;It was an enormous tragedy. We&#8217;re all so sorry that this had to happen,&#8221; Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans told reporters, standing in front of the cordoned-off bar, Le Constellation.
He said temperatures during the blaze must have reached &#8220;500, 600 degrees (Celsius, 900-1,100 Fahrenheit)&#8221;.
Reuters was not immediately able to contact the bar&#8217;s owners for comment or reach the prosecutors to verify whether they were the people referred to.
Responding to the news of the criminal probe, residents still grieving over the sudden loss of life said it was important authorities get to the bottom of the case.
&#8220;We need a moment to reflect,&#8221; said one, Patricia Mazzoni, 55. &#8220;But afterwards, I&#8217;d like an independent investigation. An independent investigation to find out who failed here.&#8221;
Witnesses reported seeing staff at Le Constellation carrying so-called fountain candles atop bottles of champagne, and questions have also arisen about a foam material used to soundproof the ceiling of the basement where revelers danced.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible c-link--underline" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Beatrice Pilloud, chief prosecutor of Valais, said indications were that the fire started because the sparklers got too near to the ceiling.
&#8220;From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread blaze ensued,&#8221; she said on Friday afternoon.
Investigations will look at renovations made to the bar, the fire extinguishing systems and escape routes, as well as the number of people inside when the blaze began, prosecutors said.
Police arrived quickly at the scene, according to local residents, but the fire burned victims so severely that investigators said they would need days to identify the bodies.
Illustrating the painstaking nature of that work, the Valais prosecutors&#8217; office said on Saturday that the police had identified the bodies of four Swiss victims aged between 16 and 21 &#8211; two female and two male &#8211; and returned them to their families. It did not name them.
On Friday, officials had only identified one of the dead, a teenage Italian international golfer, Emanuele Galeppini.
According to two people familiar with the investigation, some of the victims may be under 16.
Local residents said the bar was popular with young people and the Swiss government said many of the dead were likely youths. Beer and wine can be drunk from age 16 in Switzerland.
One of the bar&#8217;s two owners, Jacques Moretti, told the Tribune de Geneve newspaper that Le Constellation had been checked three times in 10 years and that everything was done according to the rules.
Stephane Ganzer, head of security in Valais, said the investigation would determine if the bar had undergone its annual building inspections, but that the town had not raised concerns or reported defects to the canton.
(Reporting by Dave Graham, Emma Farge, Tassilo Hummel and Benoit Van Overstraeten, Francois Murphy and Horaci GarciaEditing by Lisa Shumaker and Susan Fenton, Kirsten Donovan)
</div>
</div>

Swiss Prosecutors Investigate Pair Who Ran Bar Over Deadly Blaze

Disasters

Fire

General

Switzerland

KYIV, Jan 2 (Reuters) &#8211; Russian missiles struck a multi-story apartment building in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine on Friday, leaving the building in ruins and killing at least two people and injuring about 25 more, officials said.
Russia denied the attack had taken place, suggesting that an explosion at the site was caused by Ukrainian ammunition.
Photographs and videos posted online showed smoke rising from an area of destruction, with emergency crews making their way through rubble and large chunks of building materials.
Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov, writing on Telegram, said that according to preliminary information the bodies of a woman and her son were found under rubble.
Speaking earlier on Ukrainian television, Syniehubov said two ballistic missiles had struck the area and &#8220;nearly destroyed a five-story dwelling.&#8221;
&#8220;Rescue teams are on site,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They are primarily clearing rubble and searching for people underneath.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1022717" style="width: 868px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1022717" class="wp-image-1022717 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T165850Z_1_LYNXMPEM010DA_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-858x576.jpg" alt="" width="858" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T165850Z_1_LYNXMPEM010DA_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-858x576.jpg 858w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T165850Z_1_LYNXMPEM010DA_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-300x201.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T165850Z_1_LYNXMPEM010DA_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-768x516.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T165850Z_1_LYNXMPEM010DA_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-1536x1031.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T165850Z_1_LYNXMPEM010DA_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-2048x1375.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 858px) 100vw, 858px" />Firefighters work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia&#8217;s attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine January 2, 2026. REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy</div>
Ukraine&#8217;s state Emergency Services said it was deploying find people it believed were still trapped under the ruins of the building.
Syniehubov earlier said 25 people were injured, with 16 in hospital, including a woman in serious condition. He said customers may have been at shops and a cafe on the building&#8217;s first floor when the explosion occurred.
<div id="attachment_1022719" style="width: 871px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1022719" class="wp-image-1022719 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T171058Z_1_LYNXMPEM010IN_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-861x576.jpg" alt="" width="861" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T171058Z_1_LYNXMPEM010IN_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-861x576.jpg 861w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T171058Z_1_LYNXMPEM010IN_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-300x201.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T171058Z_1_LYNXMPEM010IN_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-768x514.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T171058Z_1_LYNXMPEM010IN_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/2026-01-02T171058Z_1_LYNXMPEM010IN_RTROPTP_4_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-KHARKIV-2048x1370.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 861px) 100vw, 861px" />Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia&#8217;s attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine January 2, 2026. REUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi</div>
Russia&#8217;s Defense Ministry, writing on Telegram, said reports of an attack were untrue and suggested the blast at the site had been caused by the detonation of Ukrainian ammunition.
&#8220;Published video footage seconds before the explosion shows thick smoke of unknown origin which, to a high probability, would indicate that a detonation of stored Ukrainian military ammunition occurred at the &#8216;Persona&#8217; shopping centre,&#8221; it said.
The ministry said the reports sought to distract world attention from a New Year&#8217;s Eve strike, which it blamed on Ukraine, on a hotel in a Russian-held part of Kherson region in southern Ukraine. Ukraine responded by saying its strikes were aimed at Russian military and energy targets.
The area&#8217;s Russia-installed governor, Vladimir Saldo, told TASS news agency on Friday that the death toll in that incident had risen to 28.
Located 30 km (18 miles) from the border, Kharkiv withstood Russian advances in the early weeks of Russia&#8217;s February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbor.
With Russia&#8217;s forces focused since on capturing eastern regions of the country, the city has been a frequent target of aerial attacks.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Ron Popeski, Gareth Jones and Alistair Bell)

REUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi

Russian Strike On Ukraine’s Kharkiv Kills Two, Injures 25; Moscow Denies Attack Took Place

Russia

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of targeting civilians over the New Year, with Moscow reporting a deadly strike on a hotel in territory it occupies in southern Ukraine while Kyiv said there had been another broad attack on its power supplies.
The reports coincide with intensive talks overseen by U.S. President Donald Trump and aimed at bringing an end to the nearly four-year-old war. Each country has said the other is doing all it can to influence his views and shape the outcome.
&#8220;On New Year, Russia deliberately brings war. Over 200 attack drones were launched onto Ukraine in the night,&#8221; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram, saying energy infrastructure in seven regions across Ukraine had been targeted.
Russia accused Ukraine of killing at least 24 people, including a child, in a drone strike on a hotel and cafe where civilians were seeing in the New Year in a Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine.
Ukraine&#8217;s military, which has accused Russia of killing many civilians in its own attacks on Ukrainian cities, said it targeted strictly military and energy targets, but made no specific reference to accounts of the strike on the hotel.
Zelensky said that Russia&#8217;s holiday season attacks showed Ukraine could not afford delays in air defense supplies.
&#8220;(Our) allies have the names of equipment which we are lacking. We expect that everything agreed with the United States at the end of December for our defense will arrive on time,&#8221; he said, without clarifying further.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of the region, said three Ukrainian drones had hit the celebrations in Khorly, a coastal village, in what he said was a &#8220;deliberate strike&#8221; against civilians. He said that many people had been burnt alive.
Russia&#8217;s Foreign Ministry said that as well as the 24 dead, 50 people had been injured.
It said the strike, as well as other drone attacks blamed on Ukraine, sought to &#8220;divert attention from the failures of the Ukrainian military at the front. The Kyiv regime is trying to prove its viability through terrorist acts.&#8221;
On Monday, Moscow accused Kyiv of trying to strike a residence of President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian and European officials have said the incident did not happen and U.S. security officials were also reported to have found that Ukraine did not target the residence.
A senior Russian military chief handed to a U.S. military attache what he said was part of a Ukrainian drone containing data he said proved that the Ukrainian military had targeted the residence.
Reuters was not able to immediately verify the reported Kherson region attack or photographs of what Saldo&#8217;s press service said was the aftermath on Thursday. Saldo said he had briefed Putin on the details of the attack.
The images showed at least one dead body was visible beneath a white sheet. The building showed signs that a fire had raged and there were what looked like blood stains on the ground. Russia&#8217;s TASS news agency published video showing drone fragments, some with Ukrainian writing on them.
Ukrainian officials regularly report civilian deaths from Russian air attacks, including in the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, which lies near the front line.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible c-link--underline" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
The Ukrainian governor of Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, said that one man had been killed and an 87-year-old woman injured in attacks on the city on Thursday.
Ukraine&#8217;s deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said rail facilities had been attacked in three regions.
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Thursday its strikes had hit military targets, as well as energy infrastructure which it claimed was being used to support Ukraine&#8217;s military.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia&#8217;s Security Council, told TASS that those who carried out the hotel attack and their commanders should be targeted.
Kherson is one of four regions in Ukraine which Russia claimed as its own in 2022, a move Kyiv and most Western countries denounced as an illegal land grab.
Moscow&#8217;s Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said Russian air defence units had downed 35 Ukrainian drones over the past 24 hours. He reported no casualties or damage.
(Reporting by Max Hunder and Reuters bureaux; writing by Philippa Fletcher; editing by Ros Russell and Ron Popeski)

Russia And Ukraine Trade Allegations Of Civilian Attacks On New Year’s Day

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

<div class="mh-auto overflow-hidden mh-none--print" data-qa-component="collapsable-content">
<div class="font-knowledge regular line-height-1-5 color-black f6 pt16 pb20 border-bottom border-gray-22 story-copy" dir="auto" data-qa-component="item-story" data-rc-highlight="story">
Investigators on Friday set about the painful task of identifying the burned bodies of a blaze that engulfed a crowded bar and killed around 40 people at a New Year&#8217;s Eve party in the upscale Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana.
So severe were the burns suffered by the mostly young crowd of revelers in the Le Constellation bar that Swiss officials said it could take days before they name all the victims of the fire that also injured 115, many of them seriously.
Parents of missing youths anxiously issued pleas for news of their loved ones as foreign embassies scrambled to work out if their nationals were among those caught up in one of the worst tragedies to befall modern Switzerland.
&#8220;The first objective is to assign names to all the bodies,&#8221; Crans-Montana&#8217;s mayor Nicolas Feraud told a press conference on Thursday evening. This, he said, could take days.
Mathias Reynard, head of government of the canton of Valais, said experts were using dental and DNA samples for the task.
&#8220;All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100 percent sure,&#8221; he said.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible c-link--underline" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
What caused the blaze was unclear. Swiss authorities said it appeared to be an accident rather than an attack.
Some accounts from survivors and footage broadcast on social media suggested that the ceiling of the bar&#8217;s basement may have caught fire when sparkling candles got too close.
Residents of Crans-Montana, which has the distinction of being not only a popular draw for skiers, but also golfers, were stunned by the inferno. Many knew victims and some said they were lucky not to have been there themselves.
Hundreds of people stood in silence near the scene as they came to pay their respects to the victims on Thursday night.
&#8220;You think you&#8217;re safe here but this can happen anywhere. They were people like us,&#8221; said Piermarco Pani, an 18-year-old who, like many others in the town, knew the bar well.
Dozens of people left flowers or lit candles on a makeshift altar at the top of the road leading to the bar which police had cordoned off. Some cried, others quietly hugged one another.
Behind the cordon, the bodies of some victims still lay in the bar, police said, as they pledged to work around the clock to identify everyone who succumbed to the blaze.
Kean Sarbach, 17, said he had spoken to four people who escaped from the bar, some with burns, and that they had told him the flames had spread very quickly.
Elisa Sousa, 17, said she was meant to be there but ended up spending the evening at a family gathering instead.
&#8220;And honestly, I&#8217;ll need thank my mother a hundred times for not letting me go,&#8221; she said at the vigil for the victims. &#8220;Because God knows where I&#8217;d be now.&#8221;
(Reporting by Dave Graham and Emma Farge; Editing by Alistair Bell)
</div>
</div>
<div class="border-top border-gray-17 color-orange-dark py16 flex justify-center bold1 color-gray-4 flex pointer no-print" data-qa-component="more-less-toggle"></div>

Fire In Bar At Swiss Ski Resort

Swiss Face Arduous Task Of Identifying Victims Of Deadly Bar Fire

New Year's

Warner Bros Discovery will likely reject Paramount Skydance&#8217;s amended $108.4 billion hostile bid for the storied Hollywood studio despite a personal guarantee from billionaire Larry Ellison backing the media giant&#8217;s offer, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The board has yet to make a final decision, but is expected to meet next week, said the person, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Warner Bros and Paramount declined to comment on the board&#8217;s position, reported earlier by CNBC.
The decision could keep Warner Bros on track to pursue a rival cash-and-stock deal with Netflix despite Paramount&#8217;s attempt to sweeten its offer.
Ellison, whose son David is chairman and CEO of Paramount, personally guaranteed the equity underpinning the bid, hoping to ease doubts that had dogged its earlier proposal.
The company did not increase its $30-per-share all-cash offer, but it raised its regulatory reverse termination fee to match Netflix and extended its tender offer deadline.
Netflix&#8217;s $82.7 billion offer, while lower in headline value, offers a clearer financing structure and fewer execution risks, analysts have said.
Under terms of that agreement, Warner Bros would face a $2.8 billion breakup fee if it walks away from the Netflix deal.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible c-link--underline" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Harris Oakmark, Warner Bros&#8217; fifth largest investor with 96 million shares, said the revised offer wasn&#8217;t &#8220;sufficient,&#8221; and noted that it was not enough to cover the breakup fee.
Paramount has argued its bid would face fewer regulatory obstacles. A combined Paramount-Warner Bros entity would create a studio larger than industry leader Disney and merge two major television operators.
Warner Bros&#8217; board previously urged shareholders to reject Paramount&#8217;s $108.4 billion bid for the entire company, including its cable television assets, citing concerns over financing certainty and the absence of a full guarantee from the Ellison family.
Paramount has argued its offer is more market-proof than Netflix&#8217;s $82.7 billion proposal, whose value has fluctuated with Netflix&#8217;s share price.
Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about further consolidation in the media industry. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he plans to weigh in on the landmark acquisition.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Dawn Kopecki, Krishna Chandra Eluri, Anil D&#8217;Silva and David Gregorio)

Paramount

Warner Bros Likely To Reject Paramount’s Latest Hostile Bid, Source Says

Business

Hollywood

Netflix

Warner Bros

President Donald Trump said on Monday that the U.S. had &#8220;hit&#8221; an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs, marking the first known time Washington has carried out land operations in Venezuela since a pressure campaign began against President Nicolas Maduro&#8217;s government.
&#8220;There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,&#8221; Trump said.
&#8220;We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area&#8230; it&#8217;s the implementation area. That&#8217;s where they implement, and that is no longer around.&#8221;
It was not immediately clear what target was hit nor which part of the U.S. government acted.
Asked if the CIA had carried out the attack, Trump said: &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to say that. I know exactly who it was but I don&#8217;t want to say who it was.&#8221;
Trump has previously said that he has authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.
On a radio show last week, Trump made vague comments about an apparent U.S. operation against a &#8220;big facility&#8221; in Venezuela.
The Central Intelligence Agency, the White House, and the Pentagon have not publicly elaborated on those comments and declined to comment on questions posed by Reuters. The Venezuelan government has not commented on the incident Trump described and there have been no independent reports from Venezuela of it.
Primazol, a chemical plant in Zulia state which suffered a fire on Christmas Eve, has denied online rumors that the blaze was what Trump alluded to in his comments. The company also said the fire was quickly extinguished and was under investigation. Nearby residents told Reuters they heard an explosion, saw the fire and smelled chlorine.
The Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all press requests for the government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Trump&#8217;s administration has previously touted its success in taking out suspected drug trafficking vessels, and the Pentagon has posted footage of several of its strikes on social media.
The lack of response by U.S. national security agencies had raised questions about whether the incident Trump mentioned was carried out covertly. Such an operation would likely limit the ability of U.S. officials to speak on the matter.
Last month, Reuters reported that the U.S. was poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations, as the Trump administration escalates pressure on Maduro&#8217;s government.
At the time, two U.S. officials said covert operations would likely be the first part of the new action against Maduro.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible c-link--underline" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
The U.S. mission has primarily focused on military strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels and has prompted intense oversight from Congress. More than 100 people have been killed in more than 20 strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Earlier this month, U.S. military leaders briefed lawmakers on an incident in September in which an American strike killed 11 people but left several survivors who were killed in a second strike ordered by Admiral Frank Bradley.
Congressional Democrats have questioned whether the second strike was conducted in accordance with international law.
Trump&#8217;s administration has overseen a massive U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, including more than 15,000 troops.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Erin Banco and Idrees Ali; Editing by Humeyra Pamuk, David Gregorio and Rosalba O&#8217;Brien)

UK Hosts President Trump And First Lady Melania Trump For State Visit – Day Three

U.S. Hits Drug Boat Loading Facility In Venezuela, Trump Says

Cartels

Drugs

El Salvador&#8217;s President Nayib Bukele, who came to power in 2019 and is now serving a second term which critics have called unconstitutional, said he was open to staying in power for another decade.
&#8220;If it were up to me, I would stay for 10 more years,&#8221; Bukele said in a video interview published by Spanish YouTuber TheGrefg on Monday. He noted that he had initially agreed with his wife that he would leave politics in 2029.
El Salvador is expected to hold its next presidential election in 2027, to decide who will run the country through to 2033.
Bukele will be eligible to run for a third term, after the ruling party-controlled Congress pushed through a constitutional reform in July to abolish term limits, bring forward the next election and extend presidential terms from five to six years.
Legal experts at home and abroad have questioned the legality of Bukele&#8217;s attempts to extend his term. The country&#8217;s constitution prohibits presidents&#8217; consecutive reelection in at least six of its articles.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible c-link--underline" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Early in 2024, Bukele won his second term with a landslide victory despite a constitutional ban.
The wildly popular 44-year-old publicist enjoys some of the world&#8217;s highest approval ratings thanks to a hardline approach to crime which has helped drastically reduce murder rates.
Critics say this has come at the expense of civil rights and people have been arbitrarily detained, tortured and even killed in custody.
Bukele, who once described himself on his Twitter account as &#8220;the world&#8217;s coolest dictator,&#8221; said he did not plan to establish a dictatorship in El Salvador and it would be up to Salvadorans to decide whether he should continue in power.
(Reporting by Gerardo Arbaiza; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by David Gregorio)

President Of El Salvador Nayib Bukele Visits “The Story With Martha MacCallum”

El Salvador’s Bukele Open To Staying In Power For ‘Ten More Years’

El Salvador

Nayib Bukele

South America

Airlines in the United States have canceled or delayed thousands of flights on Friday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, due to winter storm Devin during peak holiday travel, while some states restricted commercial road traffic in anticipation of snowfall.
A total of 1,802 flights were canceled and 22,349 delayed as of 4:04 p.m. ET, the website said.
The National Weather Service issued warnings of winter storm Devin this afternoon which &#8220;will cause hazardous travel conditions for the Great Lakes into the northern Mid-Atlantic and southern New England today through Saturday morning.&#8221;
&#8220;For areas farther north from upstate New York to the Tri-State area including New York City and Long Island, 4-8 inches of snowfall is forecast for late Friday into (the) night,&#8221; National Weather Service&#8217;s Storm Prediction Center noted on the official website.
New York&#8217;s John F. Kennedy Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport have put out posts on X, warning travelers of potential delays or cancellations.
More than half of the flight cancellations and delays took place at these three airports, according to FlightAware.
JetBlue Airways has canceled 225 flights, the most among the carriers, closely followed by Delta Air Lines canceling 212 flights.
Republic Airways canceled 157 flights, while 146 were canceled by American Airlines and 97 by United Airlines.
Spokespersons from American Airlines, United Airlines, and JetBlue told Reuters the carriers have waived off change fees for re-booking for travelers whose plans may be affected.
&#8220;Due to winter storm Devin, JetBlue has canceled approximately 350 flights today and tomorrow, primarily in the Northeast where JetBlue has a large operation,&#8221; the JetBlue spokesperson said.
Delta Air Lines and Republic did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Ahead of the winter storm, New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency from Friday afternoon.
&#8220;As widespread snowfall is expected to start in New York City and its surrounding areas this evening, I will declare a State of Emergency to ensure that our agencies and local partners have the resources and tools they need to respond to the storm,&#8221; New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania issued commercial vehicle restrictions on some roads, including many interstate highways.
&#8220;This storm will cause dangerous road conditions and impact holiday travel,&#8221; New Jersey&#8217;s acting governor Tahesha Way said in a statement. &#8220;We are urging travelers to avoid travel during the storm and allow crews to tend to the roads.&#8221;
(Reporting by Aatreyee Dasgupta and Abhinav Parmar in Bengaluru and Maria Tsvetkova in New York; Additional reporting by Megavarshini G. Somasundaram in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Nick Zieminski)

Menu

Reuters