Latest news

Midterm elections
Sources: Tech giants could leave California before the New Year

Tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist Peter Thiel and Google co-founder Larry Page are considering leaving California before the New Year, several sources close to them told the New York Times.

The reason is a proposed 5 percent wealth tax that would apply to the state's approximately 200 billionaires.

If the bill is voted through in the midterm elections in November, it would retroactively apply to billionaires residing in California from January 1. Those with $20 billion or more in assets would then be imposed a one-time tax of $1 billion and given five years to pay it.
 

Violence in Nigeria
Villagers in Nigeria: US bombs fell on fields

Donald Trump describes the airstrikes against jihadists in Nigeria as "perfect", but residents of the village of Jabo in Sokoto state paint a different picture, reports the Financial Times.

They told local media that they saw an object that looked like a small plane late on Christmas Eve. It was followed by a loud explosion and a fireball that caused them to flee in panic.

However, the bombs reportedly landed in fields, without causing any injuries. Images on Nigerian television show burnt scrap metal on what appears to be farmland.

“No lives were lost, thank God,” one man told the Arise News television channel.

According to villagers, Jabo has been relatively spared from violence and has not been attacked by Islamists for two years.

An adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu tells Sky News that Trump’s claims about the targets of the attacks are “shaky.”

Political situation in Brazil
Bolsonaro's co-convict arrested in Paraguay – cut his ankle cuff and fled with dog

Brazilian former police chief Silvinei Vasques has been arrested in Paraguay after he cut his electronic ankle cuff, packed his pitbull dog in his car and drove across the border, Brazilian media reports.

Vasques is serving a 24-year sentence for participating in former President Jair Bolsonaro's plans for a coup d'état. He is said to have prevented voters in left-wing dominated areas from voting in the 2022 elections, according to G1 Globo. The rest of his sentence will be served in a closed prison, the Supreme Court decided on Friday.

He was arrested at the airport in Asunción with false travel documents on his way to board a plane to El Salvador, according to CNN Brasil. 

Three women stabbed in Paris metro – one arrested

Three women were stabbed by a man in the Paris metro on Friday afternoon, Bfmtv reports. They have been taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The perpetrator has been arrested, according to Le Parisien, which has information that the police are ruling out a terrorist motive. According to the newspaper, the arrested person has mental problems and is already known to the police for vandalism and several other crimes.

Knife attack at Japanese factory – many hospitalized

14 people have been injured in a knife attack at a factory in the Japanese city of Mishima, several media outlets report. A liquid, of an unclear type, is also said to have been used during the attack.

It is unclear how seriously the people are injured. The police in Japan tell the Japan Times that everyone was conscious when they were taken to hospital.

The attack took place at a tire factory run by the company Yokohama. A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.