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M&M Breaking News

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M&M Breaking News

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  • Hong Kong apartment block fire death toll jumps to 128, officials warn could rise further The number of people killed in Hong Kong’s devastating apartment complex fire has risen to 128, officials said Friday. Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang warned during a press conference Friday afternoon local time that the death toll could rise further as there are about 200 people whose situation is unknown. At least 79 people were injured in the disaster, he added. Authorities received 467 missing persons inquiries, of which 39 have been confirmed to have died. This is a developing story and will be updated.
  • The world has struck a new climate deal at the COP30 summit in Brazil, which calls for a tripling of funding to help countries adapt to increasingly severe climate impacts. But countries failed to agree to a roadmap away from fossil fuels, after entrenched divisions threatened to collapse the talks.
  • Mexico’s Fatima Bosch crowned Miss Universe winner in glittering finale of scandal-hit pageant Fatima Bosch of Mexico has been named Miss Universe 2025 in a scandal-hit competition where she emerged as a fan favorite after she was berated by a Thai pageant director during a live-streamed meeting, triggering a walk out by contestants. The 25-year-old humanitarian and vollunteer was crowned by last year’s winner Victoria Kjær Theilvig from Denmark. Miss Universe is widely known as the “Super Bowl” of beauty pageants and draws millions of viewers each year. Delegates for each country are selected via local pageants that license local rights from the Miss Universe Organization. Thailand’s Praveenar Singh came runner up, with Venezuela’s Stephany Abasali, Philippines’ Ahtisa Manalo and Ivory Coast’s Olivia Yacé also making it to the top 5. Thailand, this year’s host country, has a vibrant and lucrative pageant industry with one of the largest fanbases in Asia, alongside the Philippines. This year’s event featured representatives from 120 countries. Nadeen Ayoub became the first woman to represent Palestinian people at the pageant, and made it to the final 30 semifinalists before she was eliminated. Friday’s finale was hosted by American comedian Steve Byrne and opened with a performance by Thai singer Jeff Satur. Following the swimwear round, the top 30 contestants were narrowed down to 12, and then down to 5 after the evening round. Finalists were asked questions including which global issue they would speak about in front of the United Nations General Assembly, and how they would use the Miss Universe platform to empower young girls. “Believe in the power of your authenticity,” Bosch said. “Your dreams matter, your heart matters. Never let anyone make you doubt your worth.” The competition took place over three weeks, with delegates traveling around the country to rehearse and participate in events. On Wednesday, the beauty queens competed in the national costume showcase, which saw contestants donning flamboyant outfits designed to highlight their homelands. Miss USA, Audrey Eckert, paid homage to her home with an elaborate bald eagle costume designed by Simon Villalba. The contestant from Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, took a scary tumble during the evening gown round at Wednesday’s preliminaries and was carried away in a stretcher, according to social media videos which circulated of her fall. Miss Universe President Raul Rocha said in an update to Instagram that Henry was “under good care” in hospital and that she had not broken any bones. This year’s Miss Universe competition was beset by scandal, which sparked conversations over the merits of the international beauty pageant which claims to promote female empowerment. At a live-streamed pre-pageant meeting earlier this month, Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly scolded Bosch, Miss Mexico, for not posting enough promotional content, appearing to call her a “dumbhead,” though Nawat denied this, insisting that he had actually accused her of causing “damage.” After Bosch pushed back against the insults, Nawat called security to escort her out of the room. Other contestants then stood up and walked out in solidarity. The incident sparked widespread allegations of misogyny and drew global backlash, including from Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum, who described it as an “aggression” that Bosch handled with “dignity.” The Miss Universe Organization condemned Nawat’s behavior and limited his role in the pageant. Nawat apologized in a livestreamed welcome ceremony and declined to comment further on the incident to CNN. Then, in an Instagram live video discussing the incident, Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, sparked backlash for racist comments. Machado referred to Nawat as “that despicable Chinese,” and when a commentor pointed out he is Thai, Machado said “Chinese, Thai, Korean. To me all these people with slanted eyes like this are all Chinese,” while pulling up the corners of her eyes. Machado’s representative did not respond to a request for comment from CNN. Two judges abruptly stepped down from the competition days before the winner was crowned, with one accusing the pageant of being rigged. Composer Omar Harfouch said on Instagram he had resigned from the eight-member judging panel, and claimed there was a secret, “impromptu” panel of judges who had pre-selected the top 30 contestants in advance of the final. “I could not stand before the public and television cameras, pretending to legitimize a vote I never took part in,” Harfouch said in a statement. The Miss Universe Organization said Harfouch’s claims “mischaracterize” the judging process. “The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols,” the organization said in a statement. The Miss Universe Organization did not respond to a request for comment from CNN. A second judge, former French soccer star Claude Makélélé, stepped down the same day, citing “unforeseen personal reasons.”
  • Bangladesh’s ousted leader Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death after crimes against humanity conviction Sheikh Hasina, the ousted Prime Minister of Bangladesh, has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of crimes against humanity for the violent suppression of student protests last year that led to the collapse of her government. A panel of three judges from the International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh’s domestic war crimes court, delivered their verdict Monday, ruling that Hasina was responsible for inciting hundreds of extrajudicial killings carried out by law enforcement. The courtroom, where some victims’ families were present, burst into applause as the judges delivered their sentence. “Sheikh Hasina committed crimes against humanity by her incitement, order and failure to take punitive measures,” one of the judge said as he delivered her verdict. It was “crystal clear” that she “expressed her incitement to the activists of her party… and furthermore, she expressed that she ordered to kill and eliminate the protesting students,” the judges said. What began as peaceful student demonstrations over civil service job quotas last year transformed into a nationwide push for Hasina’s resignation. The turning point was a government crackdown that may have killed up to 1,400 people, according to the UN human rights office. Up to 25,000 were also injured, the court heard. Hasina faced five charges primarily related to inciting the murder of the protestors, ordering protestors be hanged, and ordering the use of lethal weapons, drones and helicopters to suppress the unrest. She denies the charges. The former leader ruled the South Asian nation with an iron-fist from 2009 until her ouster in 2024 and it’s feared Monday’s verdict could set off a wave of political chaos ahead of national elections expected in February next year. Hasina has been living in self-imposed exile in India’s capital New Delhi since August last year, after the student protesters forced her and her Awami League political party out of power. She was not present at the court in Dhaka and the trial was criticized by her lawyers, who last week submitted an appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions over “serious concerns about the lack of fair trial rights and due process.” The interim Bangladeshi government has formally requested her extradition but New Delhi has so far remained silent on the request. Fresh violence ahead of verdict Violence erupted in capital Dhaka ahead of the verdict, with several Molotov cocktails exploding after being thrown by people on bikes on Sunday, police said. Security was tightened, with armored vehicles and officers with riot shields placed around the courthouse, and police, border guard and rapid action teams deployed near key government buildings. Hasina’s son on Sunday told Reuters that supporters of her party would block next year’s elections if a ban on her party was not lifted, warning that protests could become violent. “We will not allow elections without the Awami League to go ahead,” he said. “Our protests are going to get stronger and stronger, and we will do whatever it takes. Unless the international community does something, eventually there’s probably going to be violence in Bangladesh before these elections … there’s going to be confrontations.” Hasina’s political journey is a story of tragedy, exile and power, inextricably linked to the history of her home country itself. Under her stewardship, Bangladesh was ushered into an era of significant economic development albeit alongside accusations of corruption, democratic backsliding, authoritarianism and human rights abuses. A life in politics The eldest daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founding father of Bangladesh, she was thrust into politics early in life as she witnessed the struggle for Bengali autonomy from Pakistan. Following a 1975 military coup in which her father, mother, and three brothers were assassinated, Hasina and her sister were forced into exile. She returned to Bangladesh in 1981 to lead her father’s Awami League, and after years of political opposition, first became Prime Minister when the party won the 1996 election. She served for one term and later returning to power in 2008, ruling Bangladesh with her Awami League until last year. Bangladesh had seen strong economic growth under Hasina, but human rights organizations warned that she and her government were headed toward a one-party system. Critics expressed concerns over increased reports of political violence, voter intimidation, and harassment of the media and opposition figures. During her time in power, rights groups say the government used its cyber security law to crack down on freedom of expression online, arresting journalists, artists and activists, with reported cases of arbitrary detention and torture. But Hasina had managed to weather many previous protests against her rule that erupted particularly during elections. That changed last year with the successful Gen Z led revolution toppled her authority. Many of her family members, along with prominent party leaders and former ministers from her administration, are also residing outside of Bangladesh. Supporters of Hasina dismiss the legal proceedings as politically motivated and designed to remove her from the political arena. The Awami League party has been banned from political activities while the trials against Hasina and party leaders continues. Conversely, the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, asserts that these trials are an essential step toward restoring accountability and rebuilding public trust in the nation’s democratic institutions.
  • Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, the godfather of Seattle basketball, dies at 88 Lenny Wilkens, a three-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame who was enshrined as both a player and a coach, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 88. The family said Wilkens was surrounded by loved ones when he died and did not immediately release a cause of death. Wilkens was one of the finest point guards of his era who later brought his calm and savvy style to the sideline, first as a player-coach and then evolving into one of the game’s great coaches. Related article Massive fire heavily damages home owned by Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra He coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. He became a Hall of Famer as a player, as a coach and again as part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team — on which he was an assistant. Wilkens coached the Americans to gold at the Atlanta Games as well in 1996. Wilkens played 15 seasons in the NBA and was named an All-Star nine times. “Lenny Wilkens represented the very best of the NBA — as a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach, and one of the game’s most respected ambassadors,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Sunday. “So much so that, four years ago, Lenny received the unique distinction of being named one of the league’s 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time.” Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star as a player, was the first person to reach 1,000 wins as an NBA coach and was the second person inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach. He coached the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA title in 1979 and remained iconic in that city for the rest of his life, often being considered a godfather of sorts for basketball in Seattle — which lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 and has been trying to get a team back since. And he did it all with grace, something he was proud of. “Leaders don’t yell and scream,” Wilkens told Seattle’s KOMO News earlier this year. Wilkens, the 1994 NBA coach of the year with Atlanta, retired with 1,332 coaching wins — a league record that was later passed by Don Nelson (who retired with 1,335) and then Gregg Popovich (who retired with 1,390). Wilkens played 15 seasons with the St. Louis Hawks, SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. He was an All-Star five times with St. Louis, three times in Seattle and once with Cleveland in 1973 at age 35. A statue depicting his time with the SuperSonics was installed outside Climate Pledge Arena in June. Wilkens coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. “Even more impressive than Lenny’s basketball accomplishments, which included two Olympic gold medals and an NBA championship, was his commitment to service — especially in his beloved community of Seattle where a statue stands in his honor,” Silver said. “He influenced the lives of countless young people as well as generations of players and coaches who considered Lenny not only a great teammate or coach but also an extraordinary mentor who led with integrity and true class.” Wilkens twice led the league in assists but was also a prominent scorer. He averaged in double figures scoring in every season of his career, except his final one in 1974-75 with the Trail Blazers. His best season as a scorer came in his first season with the SuperSonics in 1968-69 when he averaged 22.4 points, 8.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds. Leonard Wilkens was born on Oct. 28, 1937, in New York. His basketball schooling came on Brooklyn’s playgrounds and at a city powerhouse, then Boys High School, where one of his teammates was major league baseball star Tommy Davis. He would go on to star at Providence and was drafted by the Hawks as the sixth overall pick in 1960.
  • Tesla shareholders approve Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 5: Elon Musk leaves a meeting with House Republicans in the basement of the U.S. Capitol building on March 5, 2025 in Washington, DC. Musk is meeting with Republicans in Congress today to discuss some of the dramatic cuts made, and ones yet to be made, across government agencies by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images) Tesla shareholders approved a pay package on Thursday that could make CEO Elon Musk, already the world’s richest person, the world’s first trillionaire. Tesla announced that more than 75% of shares voted in favor of the pay package during the company’s annual shareholder meeting. The vote didn’t include the 15% of the company that Musk already owns. The crowd at the meeting broke into cheers and chants when the results were announced. Musk thanked the shareholders and the Tesla board soon after. “I super appreciate it,” he said. Musk doesn’t take any salary, but the approved pay package comes in the form of a stock grant that would give him as much as 423.7 million additional Tesla shares over the next 10 years. Those shares could be worth about $1 trillion, assuming the company reaches the $8.5 trillion market cap needed to have Musk qualify for the full potential payout. In addition, Tesla needs to achieve a series of either operational or financial targets for him to get the full number of shares, which would be distributed in 12 equal blocks. Getting all the shares available under this package over the next 10 years would be the equivalent of earning $275 million a day, dwarfing any other executive pay package in history. Lofty targets for stock growth For Tesla to reach the $8.5 trillion in market value needed, shares need to jump 466% from today’s stock price. That’s also about 70% higher than the world’s most valuable company, Nvidia, which hit a record $5 trillion market cap last week. Musk is already worth an estimated $473 billion according to Bloomberg’s billionaire tracker, most due to his holdings in Tesla, as well as the other companies he controls, including SpaceX and xAI. A vote to reject the pay package Thursday could have meant his exit from Tesla’s CEO office. Tesla’s board said in a filing that Musk had raised the possibility of leaving the company if he didn’t get the assurances of control that the pay package could grant him. However, the company has had a rocky year. Sales and profits plunged in the first half and Tesla faces potential billions in lost revenue due to reduced US government support for electric vehicles. A future bet on robots and AI But Musk and Tesla executives dismiss those problems, saying Tesla is shifting focus from merely selling EVs to selling self-driving cars, including a fleet of “robotaxis,” as well as humanoid robots. In his remarks to shareholders, Musk spoke more about robots, which have yet to go on sale, than he did about the company’s cars. Most of his references to cars were about its so-called full self-driving (FSD), a driver assistance feature that still requires drivers to stay alert and ready to take control of the cars. But Musk said the robots will be bigger than the company’s car business - or any other business, even. “I think it’s going to be the biggest product of all time by far,” he said. “So like bigger than cell phones, bigger than anything. I guess a way to think about it is that every human on Earth is going to want to have their own personal R2D2 or C3PO.” He even predicted Tesla’s robots could replace surgeons, lead to the end of global poverty and re-shape the global economic order. He claims they could be produced for $20,000 each, allowing the company to sell them for about the price of a car. Still, those products and concepts are still under development and haven’t gone on sale. That means even with the passage of the pay package, it’s not certain that Musk will ever see any of its potential hundreds of millions of shares. He will need to straighten out the company’s current problems and then live up to the big promises that he’s made for the future. Musk has insisted he needs the additional shares to have more control over the company, not because he wants so much more wealth. “It’s not like I’m going to go spend the money,” Musk said on a call with investors last month. “There needs to be enough voting control to give (me) a strong influence – but not so much that I can’t be fired if I go insane.”
  • Trump says he’s ordered Pentagon to ‘prepare for possible action’ in Nigeria President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he arrives at Palm Beach International Airport on October 31 in West Palm Beach, Florida. US President Donald Trump said Saturday he has ordered the Defense Department to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria as he continues to accuse the nation of not doing enough to stem violence against Christians — an accusation Nigeria has repeatedly denied. In a social media post criticizing what he called the “mass slaughter” of Christians in the country, Trump wrote the United States would “immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria” and warned the government there to “move fast.” In the lengthy message, Trump said the US “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” Both Christians and Muslims have been victims of attacks by radical Islamists in the country of more than 230 million people. The violence in the country is driven by varying factors: some incidents are religiously motivated and affect both groups, while others arise from disputes between farmers and herders over limited resources, as well as communal and ethnic tensions. Although Christians are among those targeted, local reports indicate that most victims are Muslims living in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north. “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” Trump wrote. “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!” “Yes sir,” US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on social media with a screenshot of Trump’s comments. “The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” Trump’s announcement comes after he accused Nigeria of religious freedom violations on Friday, claiming that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria” and designating the nation as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act. The label is a suggestion that his administration has found that Nigeria has engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing, (and) egregious violations of religious freedom.” In a social media post after the designation, but before Trump’s mention of the military, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu wrote: “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.” He added that Nigeria is “working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.” Tinubu’s press secretary, responding to a social media post from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning the “slaughter of thousands of Christians,” called the characterization “a gross exaggeration of the Nigerian situation,” adding that “Christians, Muslims, churches and mosques are attacked randomly.” “What our country requires from America is military support to fight these violent extremists in some states of our country, not designation as a nation of particular concern,” said Bayo Onanuga. Spokespersons for the White House and Tinubu’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
  • Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives at prison to start five-year sentence Nicolas Sarkozy walks with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy after leaving his residence to present himself to prison in Paris on October 21. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy entered a prison in Paris on Tuesday on the first day of a five-year sentence, marking the first time a former leader of modern France has spent time behind bars. Sarkozy was driven to the prison complex on Tuesday morning, waving to his supporters as he left his house. The car driving him was surrounded by dozens of police motorbikes and vehicles, making its way to La Santé Prison in southern Paris. Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in jail for criminal conspiracy last month, for his role in a scheme to finance his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favors. The former president, who left office in 2012, intends to appeal but in the meantime is expected to occupy a cell either in solitary confinement or in the so-called “VIP wing” of La Santé prison complex. That wing is usually reserved for prisoners who are considered unsuitable to be kept among the prison’s general population, usually out of fears for their safety. They could be politicians, former police officers, members of far-right organizations or those tied to Islamist terror groups, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported. In a statement posted to X shortly after the car carrying him set off for prison, Sarkozy stressed that he is an “innocent man.” “As I prepare to step inside the walls of La Santé prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions,” he said. “I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that it’s not a former president of the Republic being locked up this morning, it’s an innocent man,” he continued. The former leader said he will “continue to denounce this judicial scandal” but added that he is “not to be pitied because my wife and children are by my side, and my friends are countless.” On Tuesday morning, however, Sarkozy said he felt “a deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by the expression of a vengeance that has taken hatred to an unprecedented level.”
  • Trump asks Supreme Court to OK National Guard deployment in Chicago President Donald Trump on Friday urged the Supreme Court to allow him to deploy the National Guard in Chicago, putting the explosive legal fight over his ability to use those troops on American soil before the justices for the first time. The filing sets up a showdown over presidential power at a moment when the administration is attempting to deploy the National Guard to multiple US cities. The emergency appeal follows a series of decisions from lower federal courts, temporarily blocking the administration’s efforts on the grounds that Trump vastly overstated the need for deploying the National Guard. On Thursday, the Chicago-based 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals let stand an order temporarily blocking that effort. Trump filed the appeal at the Supreme Court in a case involving his effort to deploy the guard to Chicago. In the appeal, the administration said that lower court order “improperly impinges on the president’s authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property.” The litigation puts the controversy before a Supreme Court that has rarely ruled on such deployments – but that has often deferred to the president on matters of security and defining what constitutes a national emergency. The administration asked for a quick order that would allow them to carry out the deployment while the high court considers the case. In the appeal, the Trump administration argues lower courts were impermissibly encroaching on the president’s authority to control federalized guard members. The lower court order temporarily blocking the deployment, the administration said, put the judicial branch “in the untenable position of controlling the military chain of command and judicially micromanaging the exercise of the president’s commander-in-chief powers, including the decision about which military forces the president can deploy.” The appeal uses striking language to describe the situation in Chicago, asserting that federal officials there “have been threatened and assaulted, attacked in a harrowing pre-planned ambush involving many assailants.” “Federal agents are forced to desperately scramble to protect themselves and federal property, allocating resources away from their law-enforcement mission to conduct protective operations instead,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the court. That framing starts in stark contrast with how US District Court Judge April Perry described the situation on the ground in an order earlier this month. Perry, a Biden nominee, pointed to what she described as a “a troubling trend of defendants’ declarants equating protests with riots and a lack of appreciation for the wide spectrum that exists between citizens who are observing, questioning, and criticizing their government, and those who are obstructing, assaulting, or doing violence.” To make its case for the deployments, the Department of Justice has relied heavily on a Supreme Court decision from 1827 – Martin v. Mott. The case dealt with Jacob Mott, a member of the New York militia who disobeyed President James Madison’s order to mobilize during the War of 1812. The Supreme Court balked at Mott’s argument that Madison had misjudged the danger and wrote that “the authority to decide whether the exigency has arisen belongs exclusively to the president.” In the administration’s appeal on Friday, Sauer said that case “squarely controls” Trump’s current deployments. Based on that, the Trump administration has argued, federal courts may not even review a president’s decisions to call up the guard. But the states challenging those decisions have scoffed at the notion that the protests against ICE agents are akin to an invading foreign army. And they have pointed to a 1932 decision, Sterling v. Constantin, in which courts reviewed a former Texas governor’s decision to deploy the National Guard to shut down certain oil fields in the state in order to limit production. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that courts could review such deployment decisions that fell beyond a “range of honest judgment.” Just how fast the Supreme Court will move in the case was not immediately clear, but the court requested a response from state and local officials by Monday evening – a faster than usual turnaround. The 6-3 conservative court has sided with Trump in the vast majority of emergency cases he has filed since returning to power in January.
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