Putin opens his annual news conference, an event he uses to reinforce his authority

Before the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, a luxury villa outside Damascus was used as a factory to produce the highly addictive drug Captagon. The regime trafficked the drug to countries in the region, earning billions of dollars to prop up the collapsing economy during the civil war. Captagon, originally created as a legal pharmaceutical, became a popular illicit party drug known for its energy-boosting effects. The evidence of this extensive drug operation...

The UK's youngest knife murderers, two 13-year-old boys known as BGI and CMB, had their minimum life sentence terms increased to 10 years for fatally stabbing 19-year-old Shawn Seesahai with a machete in Wolverhampton. The Court of Appeal ruled that the initial eight-and-a-half-year terms were unduly lenient, making them the youngest defendants convicted of murder since the James Bulger case. The boys were found guilty of murder, with one admitting to buying the murder weapon...

Nick Wright discusses the racism overshadowing a groundbreaking WNBA season, with Caitlin Clark's comments on White privilege sparking backlash. WNBA legends Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe address the issue, highlighting the importance of elevating Black women in the league. Bird questions whether the outrage would be the same if Clark were Black, emphasizing the need to acknowledge racial disparities in sports and society. Full Article

Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, has been shown to have changed his stance on foreign involvement in British politics, welcoming the possibility of Elon Musk donating up to $100 million to the party. In the past, Tice criticized Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros for funding anti-Brexit campaigns, questioning his right to interfere in UK democracy. Tice, along with party leader Nigel Farage and treasurer Nick Candy, met with Musk to discuss potential financial support,...

Water bills in England and Wales are set to increase by 36% over the next five years, with an average additional cost of £31 per year for households, although this will vary depending on the provider. This rise is higher than the expected 21% outlined in July, and is intended to fund a £104 billion upgrade in the water sector for customer and environmental improvements. Ofwat has emphasized the need for companies to improve their...

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a missile 'duel' with the United States to demonstrate the superiority of Russia's new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile over U.S. missile defence systems. Putin expressed readiness for the experiment, addressing Western doubts about Oreshnik's capabilities and highlighting its modern design based on previous Russian developments. The missile was first tested in response to Ukraine's use of U.S. and British ballistic missiles against Russian territory, emphasizing Russia's military strength...