International
Over 2,000 Russian troops killed in last 24hrs – Ukraine’s military
Over 2,000 Russian troops killed in last 24hrs – Ukraine’s military
In a significant escalation, Ukraine’s military reported that Russia lost over 2,000 troops in the past 24 hours, marking the highest daily toll since the conflict began.
According to Reuters, Ukraine’s General Staff disclosed these figures during its regular morning update on Friday, noting that over 300 pieces of Russian weaponry and military equipment were also destroyed. However, the numbers have not been independently verified.
The announcement comes as Russian forces push to capture as much Ukrainian territory as possible ahead of the anticipated return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, with both sides expecting Washington to advocate for ceasefire discussions in early 2025.
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Despite suffering significant casualties, Russia’s military has made substantial territorial gains over the past month, advancing westward at a pace not seen since the initial stages of the 2022 invasion. The area taken during this period is said to be half the size of London.
The General Staff’s report stated that it could not independently verify the loss figures, as assessing battlefield casualties remains notoriously challenging. This number surpasses the 1,950 Russian troops reported by Ukraine on November 12.
Meanwhile, Russia’s eastern offensive continues, with over 100 attacks launched against critical positions in Pokrovsk and Kurakhove. In response to Ukraine’s use of Western long-range missiles on Russian territory, Moscow has intensified its air strikes. Ukraine reported successfully downing 88 out of 132 drones launched by Russia overnight.
On Thursday, Moscow also launched a significant attack targeting Ukraine’s power infrastructure, leading to widespread blackouts across the nation.
Over 2,000 Russian troops killed in last 24hrs – Ukraine’s military
International
Muhammad overtakes Noah as England, Wale’s most popular boy’s name
Muhammad overtakes Noah as England, Wale’s most popular boy’s name
Muhammad was the top choice for parents naming their baby boys in England and Wales in 2023, with more than 4,600 children registered with the name.
It has been among the top 10 names for baby boys since 2016, but has now overtaken the previous favourite, Noah, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
There is, however, a level of regional variation with Muhammad not appearing in the top 10 for three regions of England.
Other spellings of the name Mohammed and Mohammad also made the top 100 list for England and Wales. The ONS considers each spelling as a separate name, with different variations of Muhammad proving popular in previous years.
Olivia remains the most popular choice for baby girls, followed by Amelia and Isla. These top three have remained unchanged since 2022.
Hyphenated names jumped in popularity for girls last year, standing at more than 19,140 names, up from around 12,330 the year before.
New entries to the top 100 list for girls include Lilah, Raya and Hazel, while Jax, Enzo and Bodhi made it into the top 100 for boys.
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The ONS said on Thursday that pop culture “continues to influence” name choices, citing singers Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey, the Kardashian-Jenner family’s children Reign and Saint, and film stars Margot Robbie and Cillian Murphy.
Other music artist names Miley, Rihanna, Kendrick and Elton also saw an increase in 2023. That was likely due to album releases, touring, or high-profile performances by Miley Cyrus, Kendrick Lamar, Elton John, and Rihanna, the ONS said.
Days of the week have been a further source of inspiration for parents, with names such as Sunday and Wednesday rising in popularity last year. The ONS drew a possible link with the Netflix series Wednesday, which was released in late 2022.
As for the seasons, Autumn ranks 96th in the list and Summer 86th, up 10 places from 2022, but 38 places lower than in 2013.
Meanwhile, royal names were less popular in 2023 – a decline that forms part of an ongoing trend.
George, Archie, Harry and Charlotte have all become less popular in recent years, as have Elizabeth and Charles.
Data for 2022’s top baby names was released last May amid changes to resources.
Publishing dates for 2024’s most popular picks have not yet been confirmed.
Muhammad overtakes Noah as England, Wale’s most popular boy’s name
BBC
International
Buckingham varsity VC suspended following his Nigerian wife’s infidelity accusation
Buckingham varsity VC suspended following his Nigerian wife’s infidelity accusation
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, London, Prof. James Tooley, has been suspended, after allegations of an affair with a young woman from Hyderabad, India.
The woman, now in her 20s, claims she had a sexual relationship with the now 65-year-old professor. Tooley has denied the allegations.
In the news posted on www.indiatoday.in. Tooley is reported to have helped her with paying her university fees. The Indian woman claimed in her diary that she had a sexual relationship with the 65-year-old Prof. Tooley. These allegations sprang up after the professor’s wife handed over copies of the diaries written by the young woman to the university.
The accusations are said to have come from his 42-year-old wife, Cynthia, handing over copies of diaries penned by the younger woman.
Cynthia is a first generation immigrant originally from Nigeria. She arrived in the UK aged 21 to study her postgraduate degree and has two bi-racial children.
The Times quoted her as saying she was 18 when she first met Prof Tooley, then in his 50s, and their sexual relationship started when she was aged 21, though later updated this to suggest she was instead 25.
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The alleged relationship began after the academic got involved in a project in the Indian city of Hyderabad aimed at providing low-cost private schools for poor communities.
He was alleged to have known the woman’s father and contributed towards her university tuition charges, before a relationship was struck up after she graduated.
Prof. Tooley has led the private university, which was co-founded by Margaret Thatcher, since 2020, when he succeeded historian Sir Anthony Seldon.
Prof. Tooley’s suspension was revealed in a letter to students in October this year, following which he issued a statement through his lawyer branding claims made against him as ‘baseless and malicious’, adding that he would soon be ‘vindicated.’
Buckingham varsity VC suspended following his Nigerian wife’s infidelity accusation
International
US neighbours reject Trump plan on deported migrants
US neighbours reject Trump plan on deported migrants
The Bahamas on Thursday said it had rejected a proposal from the incoming Trump administration to receive deported migrants, with Mexico and Panama also stressing they would only take back their own citizens.
Donald Trump’s team has drawn up a list of countries to which it wants to deport undocumented migrants when their home countries refuse to accept them, according to NBC News.
Sources told the television network that the countries that are being considered include the Bahamas, Grenada, Panama and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
But the Bahamas — an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean — said it had “reviewed and firmly rejected” the plan from the US president-elect, who campaigned for the White House on a pledge to deport millions of undocumented migrants.
Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis’s office said in a statement that his government had received a proposal from the Trump transition team “to accept deportation flights of migrants from other countries.”
“Since the Prime Minister’s rejection of this proposal, there has been no further engagement or discussions with the Trump transition team,” the statement added.
The Panamanian foreign ministry said it had received no such proposal from the Trump team, officially or unofficially.
“What is more, under international law we are under no obligation to take in deportees who are not Panamanian,” it said in a statement.
Panama wants to have good relations with the United States but “the foreign ministry believes clearly that our main mission is to protect the interests of Panama.”
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The Turks and Caicos also said it would not accept deportees.
“Turks and Caicos, like all nations, has the sovereign right to determine who may reside within its borders,” Immigration Minister Arlington Musgrove told the Miami Herald.
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