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Ukrainian and Western officials began talks in Geneva yesterday, discussing a plan proposed by the Trump administration last week to end the nearly four-year war between the country and Russia. Russian officials were not in attendance.
President Donald Trump set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to respond to the 28-point plan (see here). Notably, the proposal requires Ukraine to cede all territory currently held by Russia—roughly 20% of the country's pre-2014 territory, including Crimea and much of the Donbas region—and freezes territorial control along current battle lines in neighboring areas. It also prohibits Ukraine from NATO membership (but allows it to join the European Union).
Since 2022, more than 53,000 civilian casualties have been reported, including more than 14,000 killed. More than 10 million people have been displaced. Ukraine has received more than $400B in aid, including $118B from the US. See an overview here. |
Nigeria Kidnapping Attack |
Fifty students escaped their captors after a mass kidnapping in Nigeria last week, a Christian organization revealed yesterday. The abduction is among the largest in the country’s history; more than 250 people remain captive, including students as young as 10 years old.
The attack took place early Friday, when unidentified armed men stormed St. Mary's Private Catholic School in the country’s central Niger state, abducting 303 students and 12 staff members. It followed a deadly gun attack on a church in neighboring Kwara state, and came days after gunmen kidnapped 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi state. No group has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, which have forced widespread school closures. Authorities have largely characterized violence in the region, including kidnapping-for-ransom attacks, as a clash over strained resources.
President Donald Trump has threatened to end all aid to Nigeria over the issue, accusing the government of failing to protect Christians. See previous write-up here. |
Researchers in the UK announced a pair of new clinical trials to assess the impacts of puberty blockers on children. The trial will clear 220 children to access the drugs on an experimental basis after the government barred their distribution to children last year following a study on the drugs' safety profile.
The Pathways trial will recruit children under age 16 who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and are undergoing puberty. Beginning in January, recruits will be assigned to one of two groups: one starting the drugs immediately and the other 12 months later. Researchers will assess the drugs’ impacts on their mental, social, and physical well-being for two years, including evaluations of bone density and brain development. A separate observational study of 3,000 children will evaluate the impact of routine care on children with gender dysphoria.
In the US, an estimated 300,000 children ages 13 to 17 identify as transgender (42,000 kids received gender dysphoria diagnoses as of 2021, up nearly threefold from 2017). More than half of the states restrict or ban gender-related medical interventions in such cases (see map). |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Grammy- and Emmy Award-winning entertainer Donald Glover reveals he suffered a stroke last year while touring as his rapper alias, Childish Gambino (More) |
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Just In: Card Receives a Rare 5-Star Rating |
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> US stock markets close up Friday (S&P 500 +1.0%, Dow +1.1%, Nasdaq +0.9%) following signs the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates once more this year (More) |
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> Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R, GA-14) announces she will resign in January after President Donald Trump suggested he would back a primary challenger (More) |
> Israel claims to have killed Hezbollah chief of staff Haytham Tabtabai after first airstrikes in Lebanon since June kill five people, wound 25 others (More) |
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Clickbait: Stray mutt wins 2025 Hero Dog Award.
Historybook: Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” published (1859); Lee Harvey Oswald is shot and killed just two days after assassinating President Kennedy (1963); Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dies (1991); “Brady Bunch” actress Florence Henderson dies (2016).
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