NEWS

Unbiased headline news – Ukrainian President Zelensky has pledged to capture more North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia after two were detained over the weekend.** The two soldiers from North Korea were apprehended in the Kursk Oblast, a Russian region bordering Ukraine, Zelensky stated in a post on X. “Putin began three years ago with demands on NATO and efforts to rewrite history, but now he relies on military aid from Pyongyang,” he added, referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin. — **Illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank continue to perpetrate violence against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory.** The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported last week that during the year’s first week, illegal settlers injured 18 Palestinians, while Israeli authorities demolished homes belonging to approximately 50 individuals as part of punitive measures. — **The death toll from wildfires near Los Angeles has risen, as California officials disclosed Sunday that more people are missing.** The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office announced on social media Sunday that it will maintain a “zero tolerance for looters” policy. Curfews are being enforced in evacuation zones, including affected areas of Altadena. “Deputies are enforcing curfews in Altadena and maintaining vigilance to prevent looting,” Sergeant Miguel Meza from the sheriff’s office stated. — **Syria’s new leader Ahmad Sharaa has called on Lebanon to move past the “negative” history stemming from decades of the Assad family’s rule, vowing to address unresolved issues and forge strong strategic ties.** Sharaa referenced the “damaged” relationship during the tenure of late Syrian President Hafez Assad. He described Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s visit to Damascus as a step toward a “new phase” and affirmed that “long-term strategic ties” would be established between the neighboring nations with “significant mutual interests.” — **NFL draft prospect Kyren Lacy, a leading wide receiver candidate, is being sought for negligent homicide in connection to a fatal crash in Louisiana last month, state police reported Friday.** The Louisiana State Police announced an arrest warrant for Lacy, 24, of Thibodaux, accusing him of leaving the scene of a fatal December 17 crash. Authorities allege that Lacy drove around the crash site and fled south “without providing aid, contacting emergency services, or reporting his involvement in the incident,” according to the police statement. — **Reality TV personality Chase Chrisley is accused of striking the manager of a popular Atlanta sports bar after refusing to leave.** Chrisley, known from the show *Chrisley Knows Best*, featuring his family, was reportedly intoxicated at a Twin Peaks restaurant on Jan. 6. When the manager asked him to leave, Chrisley allegedly struck him twice in the face, including once while the manager was on the phone with 911, according to an Atlanta police report.

Unbiased headline news – The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, under Hamas administration, reported that 46,006 individuals have lost their lives in Gaza since the conflict with Israel erupted on October 7th, 2023. The ministry also confirmed on Thursday morning that the number of injured has climbed to 109,378. At least 70 people were killed in the last 24 hours alone, with an additional 104 injured as Israeli strikes continued across the territory. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces announced they have identified the remains of a hostage, Yosef Al-Zaydani, and are working to determine the identity of a second set of remains. — More than a dozen people are feared dead, with Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna indicating the toll is likely to increase as wildfires continue to wreak havoc across Southern California amid intense dry winds. Thousands of firefighters are engaged in battling at least five major blazes around the Los Angeles area. The Palisades Fire, the largest, has already scorched over 21,000 acres and destroyed thousands of buildings. Another significant fire, the Eaton Fire in Altadena, has grown to over 13,000 acres, exacerbating the destruction in the region. — Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, visited the Pasadena Convention Center on Friday, extending their support to victims and first responders affected by the catastrophic wildfires tearing through Los Angeles. The couple actively participated by distributing food packages and engaging with evacuees at the center, which has become a critical evacuation hub for displaced residents. Working alongside volunteers, Meghan and Harry handed out essential supplies to affected families. They also spent time speaking with emergency personnel involved in firefighting efforts across the region. — Ukraine has reportedly captured two North Korean soldiers who were wounded while fighting on behalf of Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Saturday. The two soldiers were taken into custody in the Kursk Oblast, a Russian region bordering Ukraine, Zelensky stated in a detailed post on X. “I want to commend the bravery of Tactical Group Number 84 of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and our paratroopers, who successfully captured these individuals,” Zelensky wrote. — Scammers have stolen millions of dollars in cryptocurrency from job seekers in a sophisticated remote-work fraud scheme, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced. James revealed on Thursday that she has filed a lawsuit to recover over $2 million allegedly stolen from victims in New York and across the country. According to her office, the scammers targeted people with unsolicited texts, offering fake remote jobs that claimed to involve reviewing products online to produce “market data.” — California’s devastating wildfires have sparked incredible acts of kindness, with residents stepping up to protect their neighborhoods. In Hollywood, several good Samaritans sprang into action when embers ignited a palm tree above an evacuated home. Using a Ring camera, neighbors sought permission to climb onto the roof and extinguish the flames before they could reach the house, preventing what could have been catastrophic damage.

Unbiased headline news – At least five people have died, and numerous others were injured as multiple fires erupted across Southern California during an intense period of dry and windy conditions. More than 15,000 acres have been scorched in the uncontrolled Palisades Fire, located in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. The blaze has destroyed at least 300 structures, with over 13,300 others in jeopardy. Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire, which ignited miles from the Palisades Fire in Altadena, has expanded to more than 10,000 acres. — On Tuesday night, Seoul Western District Court reissued a warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. Corruption Investigation Office chief Oh Dong-woon stated during a parliamentary hearing that they would “thoroughly prepare for the execution of arrest, as if it was the last chance.” The warrant comes after a South Korean court initially issued an arrest and search warrant on Dec. 31 over Yoon’s brief implementation of martial law. — Nearly 24 million Americans enrolled in the Affordable Care Act during the final enrollment period under the Biden administration, setting a record. This marks a 9% increase from the previous year, with a week still remaining for additional sign-ups. The 2025 enrollment total includes 3.2 million new participants compared to last year, according to the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Of the total, 20.4 million consumers from 2024 either selected a new plan or were automatically re-enrolled. — A passenger aboard a plane at Boston Logan International Airport opened an exit door while the aircraft was taxiing for takeoff, prompting swift action from fellow passengers, authorities reported. The individual, a JetBlue passenger, is expected to face charges and be arraigned, according to Massachusetts State Police spokesperson Tim McGuirk. The passenger’s identity has not been released. McGuirk noted that the incident occurred around 7:30 p.m., describing the door as being opened “suddenly and without warning.” — Former Congressman George Santos earned $400,000 selling personalized videos on Cameo, federal prosecutors revealed during a court hearing on Tuesday. The disclosure was made as prosecutors opposed Santos’ request to postpone his sentencing, scheduled for February 7th. They argued against the delay, asserting that “the numerous victims of Santos’s criminal schemes, and the community writ large have a strong collective interest in the expeditious resolution of this case.” Santos pleaded guilty in August to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. — Applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. fell to their lowest level in nearly a year last week, signaling a resilient labor market with historically low layoffs. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that jobless claims dropped to 201,000 for the week ending January 4th, a decline from the previous week’s 211,000. This figure marks the lowest level since February of last year. The four-week moving average, which smooths fluctuations, also decreased by 10,250 to 213,000.

Unbiased headline news – North Korea announced it has successfully test-fired a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile, claiming the weapon is designed to “reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region.” According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the missile was launched on Monday and traveled approximately 930 miles at 12 times the speed of sound. The missile’s hypersonic glide vehicle reportedly reached a first peak altitude of 61 miles and a second peak of 26 miles, the report added. — French health officials have confirmed the country’s first case of a dangerous new strain of the mpox virus, which has caused significant outbreaks in central Africa. Authorities reported that the patient had no travel history to the affected region and was identified through contact tracing. The new strain, known as clade 1b, has raised concerns because of its rapid transmission and resistance to existing diagnostics. Health officials noted that cases of the mpox clade 1b strain have also been detected in Belgium, Britain, Germany, and Sweden. — President-elect Donald Trump suggested renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” during a wide-ranging news conference held at Mar-a-Lago. Trump also criticized President Biden’s final actions before leaving office and outlined his ambitions to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, even hinting at potential military action to secure what he described as vital for U.S. economic and national security. While discussing these goals, Trump proposed the idea of renaming the Gulf of Mexico as part of his broader vision. — Facebook plans to replace its current fact-checking system with “community notes,” a change that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said reflects the company’s commitment to “free expression.” “We’re replacing fact-checkers with Community Notes, simplifying our policies, and focusing on reducing mistakes,” Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday. “Looking forward to this next chapter.” The new system, which will also apply to Instagram and Threads, aims to lift restrictions on certain topics that are now considered part of mainstream discourse. — Federal prosecutors revealed in a new court filing that the FBI has uncovered “additional criminal conduct” involving New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams, who has pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment, is accused of accepting luxury travel in exchange for political favors. These favors allegedly included influencing the fire department to approve the opening of a new Turkish consulate in Manhattan, despite inspectors raising ongoing safety concerns. — In a move expected to impact millions of Americans, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has finalized a rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. The CFPB said the new rule would eliminate around $49 billion in unpaid medical bills from credit reports, benefiting approximately 15 million Americans. The agency estimated that the change could increase credit scores by an average of 20 points, enabling borrowers to qualify for mortgages and other financial products.

Unbiased headline news – President Joe Biden met with Venezuela’s opposition leader ahead of this week’s inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro’s disputed third term, according to multiple reports. Speaking briefly at the White House, Venezuelan Democratic Unitary party leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia described his meeting with the outgoing U.S. president as “long, cordial and fruitful,” The Miami Herald reported. The United States has recognized Gonzalez, who arrived Sunday night, as the rightful winner of Venezuela’s recent presidential election. — U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein announced that the Israeli Army has begun withdrawing from the western sector of southern Lebanon and will continue the process until it is fully out of the country, describing the effort as “a successful process.” Hochstein, who arrived earlier in the day and co-chaired the third meeting of the committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of the November 27 Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement in the border town of Naqoura, said he had “a very good discussion” with Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri. — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed his decision to step down as the country’s leader and head of the Liberal Party. “I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process,” Trudeau said Monday in Ottawa at Rideau Cottage, speaking in both French and English. The 53-year-old leader will remain in office until March 24 after first taking the role in 2015 from then-Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper. — A federal judge in New York has found Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court for failing to provide personal property and information to two Georgia election workers he was found to have defamed. Judge Lewis Liman ruled in favor of Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who stated Giuliani has “not turned over a single dollar” to satisfy the $148 million judgment against him. Giuliani was held liable in 2023 for defaming Freeman and Moss by falsely accusing them of tampering with the 2020 presidential vote in Georgia. — The Justice Department has reached a settlement with Antioch, California, and its police department following an investigation into alleged discriminatory practices by the city’s officers against members of the public. According to allegations, officers exchanged text messages using racial slurs to describe Black residents, praised excessive use of force, and mocked George Floyd. The investigation began after messages between dozens of Antioch Police Department personnel, sent between September 2019 and January 2022, were made public following a separate inquiry by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI. — Pope Francis has appointed the first woman to lead a major Vatican office, naming Italian nun Sister Simona Brambilla as prefect of the department overseeing all Catholic religious orders. This appointment represents a significant step in Francis’ efforts to increase women’s leadership roles within the church. While women have previously held deputy positions in some Vatican offices, this marks the first time a woman has been named prefect of a dicastery or congregation within the Holy See Curia, the Catholic Church’s central governing body.

Unbiased headline news Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is under mounting scrutiny for allegedly censoring pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli content amid the ongoing war, drawing criticism from human rights organizations and media outlets such as the BBC. The company has faced several allegations over the past month, including claims in a Human Rights Watch report about content suppression, a BBC investigation accusing Facebook of limiting Palestinian news outlets’ reach, and testimonies collected by the human rights group 7amleh alleging shadow-banning of Palestinian pages. — As the deadline for the arrest warrant against impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol approached on Sunday, protesters and counter-protesters braved freezing temperatures and snow outside his residence. The protest coincided with a Seoul court’s dismissal of an injunction filed by Yoon seeking to invalidate warrants for his detention and a search of his home. South Korea remains in political turmoil after Yoon declared martial law in early December, accusing the opposition of attempting to overthrow democracy. — The new year brought a powerful winter storm to a significant portion of the United States, delivering heavy snow and dangerous ice that placed over 60 million people across 30 states under winter weather warnings. Blizzard warnings remained in effect for more than 4 million people through Sunday night in parts of Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri, according to the National Weather Service’s online map. Travel became hazardous in several heartland states, including Kansas, Kentucky, and Indiana. — A child missing for five days was discovered alive this week in a sprawling game park in northern Zimbabwe, home to big cats and other wild animals, officials confirmed. The seven-year-old boy was reported missing from his rural village on Dec. 27, according to a statement from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks). The agency noted that a coordinated search effort involving park rangers, police, and the local community led to his rescue. — New York City introduced a new toll for drivers entering the heart of Manhattan on Sunday, requiring many to pay $9 during peak hours to access the city’s busiest area. Known as congestion pricing, the initiative aims to alleviate traffic gridlock in the densely populated city while generating funds to improve its struggling public transit system. “We’ve studied this issue for five years, but five minutes in midtown Manhattan shows New York has a real traffic problem,” said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair. — A soccer-loving nun from Brazil has reportedly become the world’s oldest living person at nearly 117 years old following the death of a Japanese woman who previously held the title. Sister Inah Canabarro, who was frail as a child and not expected to survive, has now been recognized by LongeviQuest, an organization tracking supercentenarians. In a statement released Saturday, the group confirmed her status, based on early life records, as the world’s oldest living person.