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Over the holidays, this column is looking ahead at the urgent issues of 2025. Today, the expansion of the partnership between Beijing and Moscow It is almost three years since Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin declared a friendship with “no limits” – weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, they have retreated from such rhetorical enthusiasm. The “no limits” language was quickly dumped, probably at Beijing’s behest. When Mr Putin visited in May last year, he claimed that he and his counterpart were “ as close as brothers ”. Mr Xi more coolly called the Russian president “a good friend and a good neighbour”. China has conspicuously not reciprocated Mr Putin’s description of it as an ally. Yet the partnership continues to broaden and deepen, to western alarm, across economic, political and military fronts. The US Council on Foreign Relations recently assessed it “the greatest threat to vital US national interests in sixty years”. The last 12 months saw unpr...

Detectives launch inquiry into incident reported at 11.35am on Tuesday, at address in Poole, Dorset A man and woman in their 70s have been found dead at an address in a seaside town, police said. Detectives have launched an investigation into the incident which happened at a property in Anthony’s Avenue, Poole, Dorset, and was reported at 11.35am on Tuesday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/b8dOLga

It took nine days to identify Debrina Kawam, 61, of Toms River, New Jersey, after she burned to death in Brooklyn The woman who was set on fire in a subway car in New York on 22 December, horrifying New Yorkers and renewing a debate over city safety, has been identified as 61-year-old Debrina Kawam, of Toms River, New Jersey. The victim’s identity, released by the New York police department, came nine days after the fatal incident. Investigators had previously said they were using forensics and video surveillance to identify the victim. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/B3EGV79

Jimmy Carter’s Washington DC funeral to take place on 9 January Jimmy Carter, longest-lived US president, dies aged 100 Writing in the New York Times, the administrator of the US agency for international development (USAid) Samantha Power , says of Jimmy Carter’s legacy : The former president’s regard for human rights was an outgrowth of his Christian faith — a faith so animating that he continued to teach Sunday school while president. Carter’s embrace of international human rights also grew out of his commitment to civil rights at home. His human rights message had broad appeal in the wake of Watergate and Vietnam, with Americans and many in Congress clamoring for ethics and decency from their leaders. Upon the death of former US president Jimmy Carter, the Norwegian Nobel Committee would like to repeat its praise for his “decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social ...

Former footballer’s commercial tie-ups with Stella Artois and Boss offset losses at TV production studio David Beckham has earned £28m in dividends from his personal brand empire, as new commercial tie-ups with brands such as Stella Artois and Boss helped offset losses at his TV production studio. The former England captain sold a 55% stake in his businesses in 2022 to Authentic Brands for £200m. The US firm owns rights to the images of Muhammad Ali and Elvis Presley, as well as labels such as Reebok and Hunter, which makes wellies. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/BC2G9s1

Savinho and Haaland on target in champions’ 2-0 victory ‘We will improve as the results improve, that’s for sure’ Pep Guardiola has said Manchester City’s return to winning ways will “clear our minds and souls” as he insisted the Premier League champions will get back to their best after a welcome 2-0 victory at Leicester . Guardiola expressed his relief after City halted their miserable run of results by recording their first win in six matches and only their second in 14 in all competitions. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/dWq496n

With 54 minutes gone at the London Stadium Trent Alexander-Arnold took a pass from Ryan Gravenberch with time to wait and look up, the lack of pressure from the West Ham players almost a public snub, before spanking a deflected shot past Alphonse Areola to make it 4-0 to Liverpool and kill off once again a game that was already long since dead. In the process Alexander-Arnold did at least provide a moment of cartoon drama, performing a slightly embarrassed silencing-the-chatter celebration, one hand raised to his ear. Perhaps this was a reference to stories overnight about a move to Real Madrid, something parts of the Spanish media have suggested is all but formalised. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jBlsz84