Author: Roberto Singleton

Marvel Studios is parting ways with Jonathan Majors after the actor was convicted Monday of assaulting and harassing his former girlfriend, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Majors had been set to anchor the next phase of the lucrative Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise as the supervillain Kang the Conquerer. He has played the character in two Marvel projects, and he was slated to appear in 2026’s “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” It was not immediately clear who would be tapped to portray the chief antagonist of the next wave of interconnected Marvel movies, known as “Phase Six.” Majors…

WASHINGTON — An American destroyer shot down more than a dozen drones Saturday in the Red Sea launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. “The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS CARNEY… operating in the Red Sea, successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems launched as a drone wave from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,” CENTCOM said on X, formerly known as Twitter. The aerial vehicles were “assessed to be one-way attack drones and were shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries,” according to the statement. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched…

Washington: When the Pentagon pulled the world’s biggest defense contractors into a meeting to tell them to ramp up production shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, one CEO hesitated, saying they did not want to be stuck with a warehouse full of rockets when the fighting stopped, according to three people familiar with the discussion. Nearly two years later, big defense firms are singing a different tune, with several expecting strong demand in 2024 as the US and its allies load up on expensive weaponry and munitions with an eye on what they perceive as more aggressive actions from Russia and China.…

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has called upon Ukraine’s allies to rapidly unlock tens of billions of dollars for the country, as she warned delays in providing the extra funding would jeopardize Kyiv’s tentative economic recovery, FT reports. In an interview, Georgieva expressed confidence that Kyiv could effectively handle a possible short-term funding shortfall lasting “a couple of months,” praising Ukrainian authorities for their efforts in rejuvenating the economy, managing inflation, and fortifying the country’s tax base. As the US and EU continue to negotiate financing packages for Ukraine, Kristalina Georgieva warns that any prolonged delay could jeopardize Ukraine’s economic…

US and Cambodian officials have discussed pathway to a solution to the Myanmar crisis in an effort to reinstate the path to democracy, as the rising issues in the country appeared to be ongoing. US Department of State deputy assistant secretary Melissa Brown told journalists on December 15 during her visit to Cambodia that regarding the regional issue, she and Cambodian officials talked about ASEAN, not only with regard to Cambodia’s time as ASEAN chair in 2022, but looking ahead to its role as the country coordinator for US-ASEAN dialogue relations. Brown met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International…

Jakarta, Surakarta, Berlin (7/12 – 11) Amid a generally declining period for Germany’s national football team, the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia has been a shining light for them. Germany is one of the most successful national teams ever in international competition. They have won four World Cups (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014), three European Championships (1972, 1980, 1996), and a Confederations Cup (2017). Nevertheless, in recent years, Germany is suffering a horrid fate. In 2018, Germany suffered their first-ever first-round exit from the World Cup, since 1938. Germany became the fifth defending champions to be eliminated in the…

Dec 15 (Reuters) – Exxon Mobil’s income tax payments to the U.S. government have dropped to 3% over the past five years – several times below the company’s 20-year average – on massive deductions passed under former President Donald Trump. Corporate tax experts say Exxon could enjoy low taxes for several more years, at a time when the government needs more money to fund an ambitious fight against climate change. President Joe Biden’s minimum corporate tax is off to a shaky start and calculation of the 15% tax factors in the Trump accelerated depreciation deductions that Exxon used last year.…

The US has given the green light to a potential contract with Australia aimed at bolstering the AUKUS trilateral agreement by enhancing Royal Australian Navy training. The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Australia for AUKUS training and training devices for an estimated cost of up to US$2 billion. The sale is set to advance the trilateral agreement between Australian, the UK and the US by providing equipment to train Royal Australian Navy crews in submarine navigation, communications, ship control and other capabilities. Australia has requested the training services and devices under the AUKUS Pillar 1 programme. The…

On Monday, December 11, the United States announced the sanctioning of two former Afghan government officials for “their extensive roles in transnational corruption,” which allegedly misappropriated millions of dollars from government contracts intended to support Afghan security forces.  The two former officials, Mir Rahman Rahmani and his son, Ajmal Rahmani, were nominated for sanctions by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. The two were duly sanctioned this week by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Mir Rahman Rahmani served in the lower house of the Afghan…

Washington: The administration of President Joe Biden has begun to publicly air its differences with the Israeli government over the conduct of the war in Gaza, expressing its exasperation even as it remains largely steady in its support. Biden referred this week to “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza, underscoring his frustration with conservative Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government Biden agrees is starting to lose global support. The Democratic US administration is even beginning to talk about a “timetable” for how long Israel’s high-intensity military operations can continue. Warnings have multiplied in recent weeks, with senior US officials such as Vice…