The move comes in the wake of WADA’s controversial handling of positive doping tests by Chinese swimmers.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 09/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ The United States withheld a dues payment of $3.6m to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for not conducting an independent audit of operations. WADA said the US government owes $3.625m, with WADA's overall 2025 operating budget at $57.5m. The move comes in the wake of WADA’s controversial handling of positive doping tests by 23 Chinese swimmers. The US has been the top government paying into WADA’s budget since WADA began in 2000, an investigator selected by the global anti-doping agency said in July that WADA did not mishandle the case involving the Chinese swimmers. This came in the aftermath of the Russia state-sponsored doping scheme surrounding the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Original: 628 words\ Summary: 116 words\ Percent reduction: 81.53%
Thousands attend the concert in Damascus to mark the end of al-Assad family rule and almost 14 years of civil war.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 09/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ It’s been a month since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown, ending more than five decades of his family’s rule in Syria and almost 14 years of civil war. On Wednesday night, thousands attended a concert in the capital Damascus to celebrate the uprising, a day some Syrians thought would never come. The proceeds from the concert will go to prominent NGOs, including the White Helmets. United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held its first meeting of the year on Wednesday. UN Special envoy for Syria said the UNSC pushed for sanctions to be lifted at the meeting.
Original: 479 words\ Summary: 100 words\ Percent reduction: 79.12%
Dozens of others injured after thousands of devotees queue outside one of the most visited Hindu temples in south India.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 09/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ A huge crowd gathered to collect free entrance tokens to visit Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple. Since early on Wednesday, devotees had begun to congregate for a 10-day festival at the temple that starts on Friday. In a post on X, Naidu said the deaths “grieved me intensely”
Original: 273 words\ Summary: 49 words\ Percent reduction: 82.05%
Roughly 100 Israeli hostages were taken into Gaza when Hamas militants launched an attack on southern Israel on 7th October 2023.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 09/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ Israeli soldiers have recovered the body of Yosef AlZayadni, 53, in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza. He was captured on the 7 October by Hamas militants in a kibbutz in southern Israel in an attack that killed 1,200 people. Two of his other children, Bilal and Aisha, were released in November 2023 along with around 100 other hostages. Israel has rescued eight hostages and has recovered the bodies of dozens. The return of the remaining hostages is a key element of a potential ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. The families of the hostages have put immense pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate a pause in hostilities. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says a ceasefire and a hostage agreement is "very close"
Original: 493 words\ Summary: 133 words\ Percent reduction: 73.02%
Iran says it's ready to hold talks over its nuclear programme and adress the West's concerns
Iran says it’s ready to hold talks over its nuclear programme and to address the West’s concerns.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 09/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ Tehran is scheduled to hold talks with the UK, Germany and France on 13 and 14 January in Geneva. Iran’s highly controversial nuclear program is on the agenda of those talks, as well as various other issues. A wide range of topics will be discussed, including regional issues, bilateral ties with the EU and the nuclear issue.
Original: 310 words\ Summary: 60 words\ Percent reduction: 80.65%
Hugo Drochon, talks about the death of French far-right politician, Jean-Marie Le Pen
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 09/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ Hugo Drochon, a political theorist at the University of Nottingham in England, talks about the death of French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Original: 33 words\ Summary: 24 words\ Percent reduction: 27.27%
Police say a hiker survived on two muesli bars, foraged berries and creek water for two weeks while lost on a remote Australian mountain range
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 08/01/2025 | 09:22:16
AI Summary:\ Hadi Nazari, 23, went missing on Dec. 26 when he separated from two hiking companions. He was rescued after he approached a group of hikers on Wednesday afternoon, telling them he was lost and thirsty. "This is the 14th day we’ve been looking for him," police said. Australia is a relatively flat continent and the mountain is only 2,228 meters (7,310 feet) above sea level. Weather conditions are mild during the current Southern Hemisphere summer.
Original: 366 words\ Summary: 79 words\ Percent reduction: 78.42%
At least five people killed as six fires burn across the Los Angeles County with officials expecting the death toll to rise.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 09/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ Firefighters say at least five people were killed in three major out of control blazes. A sixth fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills, prompting evacuation orders to thousands of residents. More than 1,000 structures, mostly homes, were destroyed so far and some 130,000 people remain under evacuation orders. Authorities estimate the damage from the Palisades fire to be more than 1,000 structures, making it the most destructive in Los Angeles’ modern history. Many of Hollywood’s biggest stars were either forced to evacuate or lost their property to the fires. Some of the A-listers include Adam Brody and Leighton Meester who lost their home.
Original: 497 words\ Summary: 110 words\ Percent reduction: 77.87%
The attack came just hours after China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with government officials in the capital N’Djamena
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 09/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ At least 19 people have been killed in the failed assault on the president’s office. At least 18 of a force of 24 armed men were killed in failed assault. One member of the security forces also died in the gun battles. A security source told the French news agency AFP that the attackers were members of the Boko Haram armed group, but Koulamallah later said they were “probably not” rebels. The incident was likely an “attempted terrorist attack”. Residents in the area described hearing loud volleys of gunfire. It comes less than two weeks after Chad held a contested general election.
Original: 470 words\ Summary: 109 words\ Percent reduction: 76.81%
Takeshi Ebisawa faces a maximum punishment of life in prison after pleading guilty to six counts in a Manhattan court.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 09/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, a member of the yakuza, entered a guilty plea to six counts in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday. He is set to be sentenced on April 9. In 2020 he told an undercover agent he had acquitted a large quantity of thorium and uranium that he wanted to sell.
Original: 341 words\ Summary: 56 words\ Percent reduction: 83.58%
President Lula attended the event to denounce the ‘coup’ against him, led by supporters of Jair Bolsonaro.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 09/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has marked the second anniversary of an attack on government buildings. On Wednesday, Lula appeared in the Three Powers Plaza in the capital Brasilia to denounce the riots of January 8, 2023. He also used the occasion to project defiance in the wake of the attack. Bolsonaro left the country for Florida before Lula took power. He has since returned to the country, where he faces numerous legal cases and investigations. Some pertain to his role in spreading misinformation about the election.
Original: 520 words\ Summary: 93 words\ Percent reduction: 82.12%
Beijing dominates the production of critical elements used in the production of electronics, vehicles and weapons.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 09/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ China controls about 70 percent of their production and 90 percent of processing. The 17 elements, which include scandium, promethium and yttrium, are used to make everything from smartphones, semiconductors, and EV batteries. China banned exports of gallium, germanium and antimony to the US last month. China is focused on keeping rare earth prices stable to support its domestic EV industry. China’s near-monopoly and unbeatable prices have historically made operating rare earth mines an unattractive proposition for many investors. The timeline is also long, taking 10-20 years from exploration to construction. China controls 99 percent of the processing of heavy rare earths. North America is not the only region trying to play catch-up. Europe has rare earth processing facilities in France, Estonia, Germany. Some of the hesitation – particularly in Europe – has been due to the environmental costs associated with rare earth mining and processing. Mining and processing produce large quantities of waste rock and can unleash residual concentrations of rare earths, radionuclides, heavy metals, and acids into the surrounding air, soil and groundwater. Analysts say some of these concerns could be overcome with new technology and automation to meet the higher environmental standards demanded by many governments. Everyone’s anticipating, not at cooling off, but actually further escalating, he said. So a tit-for-tat: retaliation, next step.
Original: 1554 words\ Summary: 230 words\ Percent reduction: 85.20%
Minutes of the December meeting show a division on decision to cut rates and the 0.25 percent cut was ‘close call’.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 08/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ United States Federal Reserve officials at their meeting December 17-18 expected to dial back the pace of interest rate cuts this year. Some expressed support for keeping the central bank’s key rate unchanged, the minutes said. One official, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, dissented in favour of keeping rates unchanged. Fed officials said they expect just two cuts next year, down from an earlier projection of four. Fed staff economists considered the economy’s future path particularly uncertain at the December meeting. The staff said inflation this year would be about the same as in 2024. Stock markets plummeted after the Fed officials reduced their outlook for rate cuts last month. Trump's tariff proposals could push inflation up by nearly a half-percentage point later this year. Fed governor Christopher Waller said that he still supported rate reductions this year, partly because he expects inflation to steadily head down to the Fed target. Waller also said he didn’t think Trump would ultimately impose the universal tariffs he promised in the campaign.
Original: 584 words\ Summary: 179 words\ Percent reduction: 69.35%
Barcelona reach the final of the Spanish Super Cup with a 2-0 win against Athletic Bilbao in Saudi Arabia.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 08/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in the Spanish Super Cup final. Dani Olmo was cleared to play again on a temporary basis before the game on Wednesday. Gavi and Lamine Yamal scored the second early after the break. Real Madrid face Mallorca on Thursday in the second semifinal. Ernesto Valverde brought on Nico Williams to try and turn the game around. Inaki Williams also had a goal ruled out for offside after Frenkie de Jong's poor back-pass took a slight deflection off Alvaro Djalo on its way to the Ghana international.
Original: 480 words\ Summary: 97 words\ Percent reduction: 79.79%
Self-exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González is rallying regional support for the opposition's claims that he won the July election against President Nicolás Maduro
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 08/01/2025 | 20:47:06
AI Summary:\ Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González meets with Panamanian President José Ral Mulino. The meeting comes days before Venezuela's presidential inauguration. He says he plans to go to Venezuela to assume office as president on Friday. Maduro has put out an order for his arrest. Maduro government never released official ballot tallies. On Tuesday, González said his son-in-law was kidnapped. Panama was one of the first Latin American countries to demand a full review of the presidential election results.
Original: 459 words\ Summary: 85 words\ Percent reduction: 81.48%
Trump’s refusal to rule out using military force, economic coercion to seize island causes disquiet, calls for unity.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 08/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said principle of inviolability of borders applies to every country, no matter how powerful. He added Trump’s statements a day earlier had sparked "notable incomprehension" among other European Union leaders. France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, also weighed in on Wednesday. Greenland was “European territory” and there was “no question of the EU letting other nations in the world, whoever they may be... Attack its sovereign borders” EU officials largely sought to avoid wading into the morass. Mute, who supports full independence from Denmark, has previously opposed Trump’s past suggestions of purchasing the island. Foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Copenhagen is open to a dialogue with the Americans on how we can cooperate. But he also ruled out the island becoming part of the US.
Original: 659 words\ Summary: 137 words\ Percent reduction: 79.21%
Half of Sudan’s population faces acute food shortages.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 08/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ Millions are displaced and the United States says genocide is taking place. What’s the world doing for the people of Sudan? Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault.
Original: 95 words\ Summary: 27 words\ Percent reduction: 71.58%
Arctic temperatures in eastern Turkey
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 08/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ In the provinces of Kars and Ardahan, in the far east of Turkey, temperatures have plummeted to minus 20 degrees Celsius. Residents of these towns are facing harsh winter conditions they are not used to.
Original: 51 words\ Summary: 37 words\ Percent reduction: 27.45%
The attack came hours after Ukraine’s military struck a depot deep inside Russia.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 08/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ A Russian guided bomb attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia has killed at least 13 civilians and injured about 30 others. Graphic footage posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Telegram page on Wednesday showed bloodied civilians lying in a city street being treated by emergency services. High-rise residential blocks, an industrial facility and other infrastructure were damaged in the attack, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said. Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull said that “strikes were aimed at what has been described as an ‘industrial site’” Hull described “scenes of devastation outside a factory, in a multi-storey apartment building opposite... In addition to a passing tram and minibus, which would have been carrying passengers”
Original: 517 words\ Summary: 117 words\ Percent reduction: 77.37%
Consumer watchdog said new rule would lead to rising credit scores and an additional 22,000 low-cost mortgages annually.
Author: Unknown\ Published on: 08/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:\ Consumer Data Industry Association and Cornerstone Credit Union League filed the lawsuit in federal court in Sherman, Texas. The agency had said the rule would remove $49bn in medical debts from the credit reports of about 15 million Americans. It was adopted despite demands from Republicans in Congress that Biden’s financial regulators stop issuing new rules as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office on January 20. Medical debt provides little indication of whether a borrower is likely to repay a loan. The change should result in rising credit scores and could lead to an additional 22,000 low-cost mortgages per year being issued. The new rule will also prohibit lenders from considering certain medical information.
Original: 315 words\ Summary: 121 words\ Percent reduction: 61.59%
congrats on being the first comment in this community