Category: Global

A 30-year-old Russian fitness influencer baker Dmitry Nuyanzin has died after following an extreme 10,000-calorie daily diet that he believed would help him gain weight quickly before starting a fat-loss program.

According to international media reports, Dmitry, who lived in the city of Orenburg, wanted to prove that he could lose weight in any situation. What he did not realise was that his plan would turn into a tragic and cautionary story.

Before beginning his weight-loss journey, Dmitry deliberately tried to gain nearly 25 kilograms by eating huge amounts of junk food every day. For several weeks, he consumed around 10,000 calories a day.

His daily meals included pastries and cakes for breakfast, two pounds of mayonnaise-covered dumplings for lunch, and burgers, pizza, chips, and other high-calorie snacks for dinner. Within a month, he gained 13 kilograms and his weight reached 105 kilograms.

On November 18, Dmitry posted his final Instagram update, where he shared a video of himself eating chips and told his followers that he felt unwell. 

No one expected that it would be his last post.

A day before his death, he cancelled his coaching sessions and informed friends that he was sick and planned to visit a doctor.

He never made it. A few hours later, Dmitry died in his sleep as his heart stopped.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has placed India in the second-lowest performance tier, giving the country a ‘C’ grade in its latest annual review of national economic data.

The IMF said India’s 2011-12 economic dataset is old and unreliable, and noted that the country’s national accounts contain serious gaps.

The report stated that a ‘C’ grade shows “data weaknesses that hinder effective economic monitoring”.

According to the global lender, flaws in India’s economic data continue to obstruct proper surveillance.

The Fund pointed out that India’s income-based method for calculating GDP has repeatedly faced criticism from economists.

The IMF added that these weaknesses have not improved.

It may be noted that this was the second consecutive year in a row when India’s national accounts received a ‘C’ grade, as the shortcomings in its statistical system remain in place.

A local politician in Namibia, a namesake of Nazi Germany’s notorious leader, has retained his seat for the fifth time in a row after reportedly winning the local elections.

As per the details, Adolf Hitler Uunona has retained his seat in his small northern constituency despite his controversial name.

Representing Ompundja in the Oshana region since 2004 as a member of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), the 59-year-old has been a popular figure in the constituency of less than 5,000 residents despite his namesake’s legacy, winning the election with 85% of the vote in 2020.

While Namibia’s Electoral Commission has yet to release the official vote count, Uunona won by a large margin, reports said.

As regional councilor, Hitler has been lauded for his grassroots work and anti-apartheid efforts, domestic media reported.

In an interview with German newspaper Bild in 2020 — when he won his fourth mandate — Uunona said he had “nothing to do” with Nazi ideology. He also rejected any notion of world domination.

“It wasn’t until I was growing up that I realised: this man wanted to subjugate the whole world,” Uunona said. “I have nothing to do with any of these things.”

He explained that his father named him after the notorious Nazi leader responsible for the Holocaust. However, Uunona pointed out that “he probably did not understand” what it meant.

“As a child I saw it as a totally normal name,” Uunona insisted. “It does not mean I have Adolf Hitler’s character or resemble that of Adolf Hitler of Germany,” he told Namibian press in a separate interview.

He goes by the name Adolf Uunona in his daily life, but he maintains he has no plans to change it, as it is “too late for that”.
The centre-left SWAPO party originated in the Namibian liberation movement. It campaigns on anti-colonial politics, including the rejection of white-minority governance.

In recent years, the party has shifted towards the centre and market-oriented policies.

Namibia was once a German colony and part of German South West Africa, and Germanic names like Adolf remain common.

The United States (US) has indefinitely halted all immigration applications from Afghan citizens after the suspect who opened fire at US National Guard personnel in Washington DC was identified as an Afghan.

“All immigration applications for Afghan nationals are paused indefinitely,” the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a statement, adding that security and screening protocols for Afghan applicants will be reviewed thoroughly.

The statement came shortly after two National Guard personnel were shot near the White House.

According to reports, a man opened fire on the personnel, prompting a heavy police response at the scene. The two injured officers were immediately rushed to a hospital, and their condition remains critical.

The suspect arrested from the scene was identified as 29-year-old Afghan citizen Rahmanullah Laknwal, who arrived in the US in 2021.

Following the shooting, authorities temporarily locked down the White House and secured surrounding areas. Police advised civilians to avoid I Street and nearby zones.

Secretary of Homeland Security said they were working with law enforcement agencies to gather information while President Donald Trump condemned the attack as terrorism.

In a public address, Trump ordered a review of all foreign nationals who entered the US from Afghanistan during the Biden administration. On social media, he called the shooter an “animal” and warned that anyone who fired upon the National Guard personnel will pay a heavy price.

The shooting also briefly disrupted flights at Washington’s Ronald Reagan Airport.

Armenia has suspended its plans to purchase India’s Tejas fighter jets following the aircraft’s crash at the Dubai Air Show, multiple media reports have stated.

According to reports, Armenia and the Indian government, along with aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), were negotiating a deal worth $1.2 billion for 12 jets. If finalized, it would have marked the first major export of the Tejas fighter jet.

The crash, which occurred on November 21 at the Dubai Air Show, claimed the life of the pilot, Wing Commander Namansh Sial. The cause of the accident has not yet been confirmed, with officials investigating whether it was due to a technical malfunction or pilot error.

The Tejas jet was developed to replace the aging fleet of Indian MiG-21s, which were recently grounded. So far, the Indian Air Force has received 40 aircraft from the first production run. Production of 97 units of an advanced version, called the A1 Tejas, has now begun. This upgraded version includes improvements to bring the aircraft in line with Western fighter jets, largely due to Israeli systems integrated into the design.

The A1 Tejas will feature AESA radar technology and an electronic warfare system manufactured by Elta of Israel Aerospace Industries. Pilots will also have access to the new generation of Elbit’s helmet-mounted sight. The aircraft will be armed with Rafael-manufactured Derby radar-guided missiles.

Reports indicate that Armenia’s decision to halt the purchase could cause losses worth tens of millions of dollars for Israel Aerospace Industries, which supplied many of these advanced systems.

The crash and its aftermath drew criticism from international participants at the air show. Major Taylor Hiester, commander of the US Air Force F-16 Viper Team aerobatic team, expressed shock on his Instagram account over the accident and the decision to continue aerobatic displays. Out of respect for Wing Commander Sial and his family, the team canceled its final performance at the event.

Activist Greta Thunberg was temporarily banned from the city of Venice, Italy, after she and three dozen members of an environmentalist group called  ‘Extinction Rebellion’ turned Venice’s Grand Canal lime green on Monday.

The group did this to protest and create awareness for the little progress world governments have made to stop using fossil fuels. 

The non-toxic fluorescent dye turned the canal water green and was one of many protests the group has done in 10 cities throughout Italy. 

In addition to dyeing the water green, Thunberg and her team held a banner that read “Stop Ecocide” from the famous Rialto Bridge. The group wore striking red clothing with veils on their faces, in a ‘mock funeral’ mourning the lack of action by governments around the world. 

“Let’s symbolically paint green the waters of Italy, many contaminated daily by industries supported by our own government, because this is the world toward which current climate policies are dragging us,” read a statement by an Extinction Rebellion activist.

Thunberg and 35 other activists received a 48-hour ban from the famous Italian city and a $174 fine, for the act, with the governor of the region, Luca Zaia, stating that the way the protest was done was, “a disrespectful act towards our city, its history and its fragility.”

A meeting between President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) last week turned tense when the discussion moved to the desert Kingdom joining the Abraham Accords and normalising relations with Israel, two U.S. officials have confirmed to a media outlet. 

President Trump had hoped his meeting with MBS would lead to a breakthrough toward Saudi-Israeli normalisation since the genocide in Gaza on ‘temporary hold with a ceasefire’, a source had told the outlet. 

 Trump was disappointed that MBS did not agree to normalising relations with Israel despite being told by White House officials that the President expected “progress” on Abraham Accords.

During the Nov. 18 meeting, Trump raised the issue and pressed hard for MBS to join the Abraham Accords, a pact that started in 2020 and involved normalising relations between Israel and several key Arab nations. This had become a major diplomatic victory for Trump’s first tenure. 

When Israel came up, the conversation became tense, officials say. MBS pushed back, explaining to Trump that although he wants to do move forward with normalisation with Israel, he couldn’t do so now because Saudi public opinion is highly anti-Israel in the aftermath of the genocide in Gaza. He said Saudi society isn’t ready for such a move. 

Trump and MBS were civil but the conversation was tough, the outlet reported.

“The best way to say, it is disappointment and irritation. The president really wants them to join the Abraham Accord. He tried very hard to talk him. It was an honest discussion. But MBS is a strong man. He stood his ground,” the source said.

MBS demanded that in return for a peace deal with Saudi Arabia, Israel should agree to “an irreversible, credible and time-bound path” for a Palestinian state. MBS also made that clear publicly, after the meeting.

“MBS never said no to normalisation. The door is open for doing it later. But the two-state solution is an issue,” a U.S. official said.

“Now that Iran’s nuclear program has been totally obliterated and the war in Gaza has ended, it is very important to President Trump that all Middle Eastern countries join the Abraham Accords, which will advance peace in the region,” one White House official said.

 
During the meeting with the press last week, Trump told MBS he will supply Saudi Arabia with the same advanced model of the F-35 fighter jets that Israel has, despite pushback from the Israelis.

But a day later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and assured him that wasn’t the case. U.S. and Israeli officials told the news outlet that Rubio told Netanyahu the Saudis will get a downgraded version of the F-35.

Rubio, the officials said, will have talks with Israel to make sure the F-35 deal with Saudi Arabia doesn’t undermine the Israel Defense Forces’ qualitative military edge (QME), which is a commitment set in U.S. law.

“We told the Israelis we are committed to the QME and we are not going to violate it,” a U.S. official said.

Saudi Arabia plans to open two new alcohol stores, including one serving non-Muslim foreign staff at state oil giant Aramco, as the Kingdom continues to ease long-standing restrictions, foreign media reports said citing sources.

According to Reuters, the new outlets will be located in the eastern province of Dhahran and in the port city of Jeddah for diplomats. 

The move marks another milestone in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to open up the country. Last year, Saudi Arabia opened its first alcohol store for non-Muslim diplomats in Riyadh, ending a 73-year ban.

The Dhahran store will be set up inside an Aramco-owned compound and will serve non-Muslims working for the company. The other store is planned for non-Muslim diplomats in Jeddah, where many foreign consulates are located. 

Both stores are expected to open in 2026, though no specific timelines have been confirmed.

While the government’s media office did not immediately respond to questions, Aramco declined to comment, reports said.

The Riyadh store, located in a discreet building in the diplomatic quarter and known among some diplomats as the “booze bunker”, recently expanded its customer base to include non-Muslim Saudi Premium Residency holders. 

These residences are granted to entrepreneurs, major investors and individuals with special talents.

Before the Riyadh store opened, alcohol in Saudi Arabia was largely accessible only through diplomatic mail, the black market or homebrewing.