Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore.Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov who won the title at the age of 22.The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this...
French President to Name France New Prime Minister on Friday
The office of the French President Emmanuel Macron, on Thursday disclosed that he will name a new prime minister on Friday morning, as pressure mounted to fill the post a week after MPs toppled the government.“The statement naming the prime minister will be published tomorrow morning,” the Elysée presidential palace said.Former Prime Minister Michel Barnier, whose government had support only from Macron’s centrist camp was felled last week in a confidence vote over his cost-cutting budget.His caretaker administration on Wednesday reviewed a bill designed to keep the lights of government on without a formal financial plan for 2025, allowing tax collection...
72-Year-Old Former Syrian Prison Official Faces Torture Charges in U.S
United State authorities revealed that a former Syrian military official who oversaw a prison where alleged human rights abuses took place has been charged with several counts of torture after being arrested in July for visa fraud charges, authorities said Thursday, December 12.Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, who oversaw Syria’s infamous Adra Prison from 2005 to 2008 under recently ousted President Bashar al-Assad, was charged by a federal grand jury with several counts of torture and conspiracy to commit torture.“It’s a huge step toward justice,” said Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the US-based Syrian Emergency Task Force. “Samir Ousman al-Sheikh’s trial will...
U.S Detectives Find 51 Truckloads of Unclaimed Marijuana, Worth $100 Million
The US cops has found $100 million worth of the drug, neatly bagged up, but without an owner in sight.Detectives were called to a property in Oak Hills, California, by neighbors who noted a strong smell coming from a newly built warehouse. Once they got inside, they found the whole 4,800-square-foot (450-square-meter) structure stuffed with trash bags full of marijuana. The 3,000 bags, which weighed a total of 45 tons, took officers two days and 51 truckloads to move.Detective Chris Bassett of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department admitted that officers were stumped by the find. Asked by a reporter...
China’s President May Decline Trump’s Inauguration Invitation, Expert Says.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping would likely see President-elect Donald Trump’s invitation to attend his inauguration as too risky to accept, and the gesture from Trump may have little bearing on the increasingly competitive ties between the two nations as the White House changes hands, experts say.Trump’s incoming press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed on Thursday that Trump extended an invitation to the Jan. 20 ceremony. The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it had no information to provide. But experts don’t see Xi coming to Washington next month.Why wouldn’t Xi attend?“Can you imagine Xi Jinping sitting outdoors in Washington, D.C., in January at the...
Unitedhealthcare Group Reveal Suspect in CEO’s Killing Wasn’t Insured By the Company
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the ambush killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, was not insured by the company, the overarching business that owns it said.There is no record that Mangione was ever insured by the company, UnitedHealth Group said.Mangione is the suspect in the fatal shooting of CEO Brian Thompson on a New York City street on the morning of Dec. 4, as Thompson was walking to a hotel where an investor conference was being held.The killing remains under investigation.New York Police Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione’s social media and writings indicate he suffered a painful back injury that was a “life-altering...
President Yoon Apologizes Again “For Causing Surprise and Anxiety” With Martial Law Declaration, Vows to ‘Fight to the End.’
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Thursday to “fight to the end” as he faces calls to step down over his failed attempt to impose martial law, defending his actions and lashing out at his political opponents in a defiant speech.In a lengthy national address, Yoon accused “anti-state forces” in the opposition-controlled parliament of paralyzing the government and undermining the rule of law. He largely repeated comments he made last week when he announced the surprise martial law order, saying it was necessary to protect democracy.“The opposition parties are currently going berserk, claiming that the declaration of martial law equates to insurrection,”...
FBI Director Wray Plans to Resign Before Trump Takes Office in January
FBI Director Christopher Wray told bureau workers Wednesday that he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January, an announcement that came a week and a half after President-elect Donald Trump said he would nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the job.Wray said at a town hall meeting that he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought,” roughly three years short of the completion of a 10-year term during which he tried to keep the FBI out of politics even as the bureau found itself entangled in a string of explosive investigations, including two that led to...
