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Today — 20 November 2025Main stream

Saudi Arabia’s Return to Washington

David Sanger, a White House and national security correspondent, describes how the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, a pariah after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, has become a dealmaker in Washington.

纯电卡宴 2.5 秒破百!最强保时捷,却最不像保时捷

By: 芥末
20 November 2025 at 02:48

保时捷刚刚发布了纯电版的 Cayenne(卡宴)Electric 和 Cayenne Electric Turbo。

CEO Oliver Blume(奥利弗 布鲁默)和设计主管 Michael Mauer(迈克尔 摩尔)仅用了 15 分钟,就将这台在保时捷历史上意义非凡的 SUV 带入了新时代。

「不像保时捷」

先来看看争议最大的外观设计。

我们想知道,在第一眼看到这辆车时,你的感受如何?

纯电卡宴比燃油版车型长 55 毫米,整车长宽高分别为 4985 / 1980 / 1674 毫米,轴距也增加至了 3023 毫米。

新车前脸部分最显著的变化是采用了更低矮的发动机罩和更纤细的 Matrix LED 大灯。新大灯组将远近光、日行灯等功能集成在一个模块内,并通过横向延展的造型强化车头宽度感。

车身侧面则保留了保时捷标志性的「飞线」(flyline)轮廓,从 B 柱开始平缓下滑的车顶线条,配合轮廓突出的翼子板,维持了品牌一贯的比例语言。

细节上,新车采用无框车门,车门钣金带有一道贯穿前后门的高腰线;轮拱处则增加了专属塑料饰件,强调其越野属性。

车尾部分采用贯穿式灯带,支持动态点亮效果,并配有发光的「PORSCHE」字样。Turbo 车型进一步通过名为「Turbonite」的深灰色装饰件(包括轮毂盖、侧窗饰条、车标等)实现视觉区隔。

纯电卡宴上还能看到不少空气动力学组件,包括前脸可调导流 flap、自适应尾翼、以及全覆盖底盘、空气帘和专用轮毂等,Turbo 版本还有专属的「气动刀片」(aero blades),整车的风阻系数最低可达 0.25cd。

过去二十年,卡宴之所以能成为豪华 SUV 市场的常青树,很大程度上得益于其高度统一且极具辨识度的家族设计语言:隆起的翼子板、圆润的四点式大灯、标志性的溜背轮廓,以及那张低调却存在感极强的进气格栅——这些元素共同构成了消费者心中「保时捷 SUV」的标准答案。

▲ 燃油版卡宴

然而,在电动化浪潮下,设计团队似乎有意让纯电卡宴扮演一次「反叛者」。

正如保时捷造型设计负责人 Michael Mauer 在发布会上所言:

新款 Cayenne 无疑是保时捷,也是 Cayenne。我们在经典设计元素的基础上进行进化,保留了这款 SUV 的独特灵魂,最终呈现出一种面向未来的现代设计理念。

但市场对这套新设计的认可度似乎很有限。

编辑部的几位同事看到实车之后,纷纷认为纯电卡宴「像埃安霸王龙」、「像蔚来 EC6」 等等。

油管上的海外用户们的评论也颇为一致,「像途观」、「像 Vauxhall Grandland」、「幸亏保留了保时捷的标志,否则真看不出来」、「看起来不错,只是不像保时捷」。

▲ 评论由英文机翻而来

这种质疑背后,其实是一种更高的期待:我们希望保时捷能在纯电卡宴上复刻 Taycan 的成功——即在拥抱电动化的同时,依然输出一套鲜明、自洽且不可替代的设计语言。

但目前看来,纯电卡宴的设计更像是在「未来感」与「传承感」之间走钢丝:前脸试图拥抱新能源时代的简洁与科技感,而侧面和尾部却保留了太多燃油时代的比例与细节,整体缺乏 Taycan 那种从内到外为电动架构重新思考的完整性。

这种割裂感,削弱了设计的一致性,也让本该成为品牌电动转型标杆的卡宴,显得犹豫而保守。

2.5 秒破百的性能猛兽

抛开设计上的争议,纯电卡宴在机械层面延续了保时捷一贯的高性能。

纯电卡宴的两个版本均标配四驱系统,并配备保时捷电子牵引力管理系统(ePTM)。

Turbo 车型的后轴电机采用源自赛车运动的直喷油冷技术,可以确保电机以持续高功率输出并维持高效能表现。车辆的 0-100 公里/小时加速仅需 2.5 秒,0-200 公里/小时加速时间为 7.4 秒,最高时速达 260 公里/小时。在启用 Launch Control(弹射起步)模式时,车辆可输出 850 千瓦(约 1156 马力)和 1500 牛·米扭矩。

在常规驾驶模式下,Turbo 车型的最大功率可达 630 千瓦(857 马力),在按下「Push-to-Pass」按钮后,还可以额外获得 130 千瓦(176 马力)的动力,持续 10 秒。

入门级的标准版在常规模式下可输出 300 千瓦(408 马力),启用 Launch Control 时可提升至 325 千瓦(442 马力),峰值扭矩达 835 牛·米,0-100 公里/小时加速时间为 4.8 秒,最高时速 230 公里/小时。

接近「天花板」的性能水平并非是靠牺牲续航水平而来。

纯电卡宴搭载一块 113 千瓦时的高压电池,采用双面液冷技术,WLTP 工况下标准版续航最高可达 642 公里,Turbo 版为 623 公里。

得益于 800V 架构,新车直流快充峰值功率可达 400 千瓦,从 10% 充至 80% 仅需不到 16 分钟,10 分钟即可补充约 320 公里续航。

此外,保时捷在能量回收上也下了功夫。官方称其回收功率最高达 600 千瓦,日常 97% 的制动操作可完全由电机完成,机械刹车几乎无需介入。这不仅延长了续航,也减少了刹车片磨损。对于追求极致性能的 Turbo 用户,还可选装陶瓷复合刹车系统(PCCB)作为冗余保障。

值得一提的是,纯电卡宴还是保时捷首款支持无线充电的车型,最大功率 11 千瓦。用户只需将车停在地面上的充电板上方,系统便会自动启动充电。

即使在电动车型上,保时捷依然强调了驾驶和操控的重要性。

两款车型均标配自适应空气悬架与 PASM 主动悬挂管理系统,Turbo 版更进一步,配备了后桥限滑差速器(PTV Plus)和最大转角 5 度的后轮转向系统,以提升弯道灵活性与高速稳定性。

「Porsche Active Ride」主动悬挂系统也被下放给了电动卡宴,该技术此前仅用于 Panamera 等轿车,通过高频调节减震器阻尼,几乎完全抑制车身俯仰与侧倾,在颠簸路面也能保持平稳。官方称其「重新定义了舒适与动态的边界」。

为数字原住民而生

来到车内,纯电卡宴的座舱设计依旧秉承了「反叛者」和「创造者」的设计哲学。

主驾前方是一块 14.25 英寸 OLED 数字仪表,中控区域则有一块巨大的曲面屏「流淌」出来,延伸到了副驾,三屏联动构成保时捷史上最大显示面积。

如果是高配车型,保时捷还提供了一块等效 87 英寸的 AR-HUD。

董车会在稍早前,保时捷刚刚公布内饰官图时曾评论过:

纯电卡宴瞄准的是一群新的用户。他们可能不是传统的 911 车迷,但他们成长于数字时代,对科技体验有很高的要求。同时,作为豪华品牌的消费者,他们也不满足于一块简单的屏幕,而是期待与之匹配的设计感。纯电卡宴的这套内饰,就是为这种需求做的定义。

那么你是否认为保时捷的这套新内饰比特斯拉式的悬浮中控屏更有设计感呢?

不过设计是一方面,好不好用则是另外一方面。

纯电卡宴的空调温度、音量等高频功能仍保留物理按键,设计师还开发了一个一体化手托,让驾驶员在激烈驾驶时也能盲操。

在车机内部,保时捷这次支持了自定义小组件、主题皮肤,并可通过 App Center 集成第三方应用。新的基于 AI 的语音助手可理解上下文对话,支持导航设定、在线查询等复杂指令,同时手机和手表可作为数字钥匙,最多分享给 7 位用户。

同时,全新引入的「氛围模式」可以同时改变车内的座椅位置、氛围灯光、空调设定、声音风格及显示屏界面,带来更为沉浸的乘坐体验。

价格方面,纯电卡宴标准版在英国的售价为 83200 英镑(约合人民币 77.5 万元),Turbo 车型售价为 130900 英镑(约合人民币 122 万元)。

考虑到纯电 Macan 引进国内的价格比英国市场稍低,纯电卡宴标准版在国内的起售价可能会在 70 万元左右。

不过,保时捷的选配向来是不可不品的一环。

纯电卡宴的个性化选项空前丰富,有 13 种标准车漆、9 款 20-22 英寸轮毂、12 种内饰组合,外加多个装饰包,通过专属的定制部门,你甚至可以可指定任意颜色或打造独一无二的「one-off」车型。

保时捷甚至还推出了一款可以匹配车辆配色的定制腕表。

战略回撤

在发布会的最后,保时捷明确表示,纯电卡宴将与现有燃油版、插电混动版卡宴在全球市场并行销售,至少持续到 2030 年代初期,消费者将在同一展厅将面对三种动力形式的选择。

在电动化转型进行了十年后,保时捷终究还是放慢了脚步。

原因也不难理解。

今年,保时捷纯电新车销售占比达到 23%,在一众豪华品牌中名列前茅,今年前三季度 Macan EV 在全球卖出 3.6 万辆,销量超过了 Macan 燃油版。

但是在高销量的油车销量占比下滑后,保时捷单车平均收入反而跌了 3000 欧元,毛利率也是直线下行。

在 50 万元以上的价格段,纯电、豪华、爆款依然是个不可能三角。

中国市场累计销量破万的纯电车型也仅有小米 SU7 Ultra 一款,而从小米前不久发布的财报看,小米 SU7 Ultra 的销量似乎已经见顶,连带着小米汽车的毛利率也有所下跌。

在此背景下诞生的纯电卡宴,理所当然的被赋予了更多探索的使命。

最后,还有一个颇具象征意义的故事值得提及。

保时捷现任 CEO 奥利弗·布鲁默(Oliver Blume)将于今年底卸任,纯电卡宴或许将会使他发布的最后一辆保时捷。

他从大众集团的一名普通工程师起步,最终执掌保时捷,并在其任内推动了品牌向电动化的关键转型,早在 2015 年,保时捷就已启动电动平台研发,并于 2019 年推出首款纯电车型 Taycan。与此同时,他也大力拓展中国市场,使其成为保时捷全球最重要的单一市场之一。

在 2001 年,他刚刚来到上海,成为同济大学汽车工程学院招收的第一位德国籍博士生。

而他的导师在一年前刚刚成为电动汽车重大专项的首席科学家,主导了中国新能源汽车战略的顶层设计,深刻改变了中国汽车工业的发展轨迹。

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U.K. Vows to Ban Resale of Concert Tickets Above Face Value

20 November 2025 at 01:00
The move aims to prevent “touts,” or scalpers, from charging exorbitant prices for sought-after shows.

© The New York Times

An Oasis concert in Wales this summer. British regulators opened an investigation after Oasis fans saw some seats on Ticketmaster more than double in cost from their advertised price.

泽连斯基土耳其会谈未见成效 乌克兰遭俄军空袭致25人遇难

20 November 2025 at 02:45
19/11/2025 - 19:16

法新社消息称,乌克兰西部周三(11月19日)遭遇俄军今年最致命的袭击之一,至少25人死亡,其中包括3名儿童,另有90多人受伤。当天正值乌克兰总统泽连斯基在土耳其重启和平谈判,但他的努力未能使谈判取得进展。

在安卡拉与土耳其总统埃尔多安会晤后,泽连斯基表示,希望乌俄之间的战俘交换能“在年底前”恢复。根据一名乌克兰官员对法新社的说法,此次访问在没有俄方参与的情况下进行,旨在“重新推动美国参与和平进程”。然而,美国特使维特科夫并未出席,而俄罗斯则继续对乌克兰城市和能源基础设施实施打击。

目前,华盛顿和莫斯科正在秘密制定一项结束这场近四年战争的和平计划,但俄罗斯方面拒绝评论美国媒体 Axios 的报道。

法新社独家消息披露美国和平计划

法新社独家消息称,两名知情人士表示,美国已向乌克兰泽连斯基明确表示,乌克兰必须接受美国制定的一项结束俄乌战争的计划。该方案的主要内容包括:乌克兰让出部分领土;乌克兰交出部分武器;削减乌克兰武装力量规模。

在俄罗斯正在乌克兰东部推进、且泽连斯基正陷入一场导致议会正式罢免两名部长的腐败丑闻之际,这样的计划将对乌克兰构成沉重打击。

一名乌克兰高级官员稍早告诉路透社,乌克兰并未参与这项和平计划的制定过程。

自7月在伊斯坦布尔举行的一次会议以来,俄乌谈判代表之间未再举行面对面会议。虽然外交斡旋似乎有所升温,但莫斯科至今未对其原先立场作出任何让步。普京曾于2024年6月提出他的条件,要求基辅放弃加入北约,并从莫斯科声称属于俄罗斯的四个地区撤军。俄方并未表现出放弃这些要求的迹象,而乌克兰则坚称无法接受。

22.98 万起!从攀岩涉水到冰箱电磁炉,福特烈马变了,但这才是它的销量密码

By: 芥末
20 November 2025 at 02:37

如果把时间往回拨六七年,福特 Bronco 烈马与 Jeep 牧马人是越野车爱好者心中的毫无争议的图腾级车型。

自 1966 年诞生以来,这款方正硬朗的硬派 SUV 见证了无数越野传奇。非承载式车身、可拆卸车顶、三把差速锁,这些配置一度成为专业玩家心中的「标准答案」。

Bronco 曾伴随探险者穿越北美荒野,登上多部好莱坞大片银幕,甚至在 1970 年代石油危机时期,成为美国自由精神的象征。

▲ 1966 年的初代烈马

在北美市场,2021 年重启的第六代 Bronco 首年订单突破 10 万辆,到今年更是突破了 150 万辆,印证了这一 IP 的持久号召力。

然而,当这股「Bronco 热」试图进入中国市场时,却遭遇了现实的冷遇。

▲2024 年成都车展上的烈马

2024 年 4 月国产燃油版福特烈马上市时,福特官方曾表示过:

在市场这么卷的情况下,我们的底气还是蛮足的,中国市场一定会成为烈马、游骑侠全球 Top3 的市场,甚至会是最大的单一市场。

但燃油烈马的销量,其实并不尽如人意。

2024 年,该车上市来累计取得销量 8814 辆,即月均销量在千辆规模,进入 2025 年后,燃油烈马销量进一步下滑,上半年累计销量 4041 辆,即月均销量下滑至 660 辆左右。

▲ 燃油版烈马配备的三段式氮气减震器

除了售价较高、真正硬核定位的越野车受众过窄等因素外,国内自主品牌的越野车的崛起也是导致福特一败再败的重要因素。

比如坦克 300,凭借 20 万元级定价、城市 SUV 的舒适性与基础越野能力,即使销量已经比巅峰时下滑了不少,在近半年依然售出了 27761 辆车。

长城汽车曾经做过一次调研,数据显示,坦克 300 用户中 76% 为首次购买硬派 SUV,日常通勤占比达 65%。也就是说,大部分的越野车车主日常面临最多的越野场景可能是「上个马路牙子」,实际消费过程中,买家更关注也是「露营拓展能力」和「城市驾驶舒适性」,而非攀岩、涉水等极限性能。

但在被国产越野降维打击了一年之后,福特也回过味来了,「打不过就加入」,于是就有了这款中国特供的——智趣烈马。

11 月 18 日,福特正式开启智趣烈马预售,这款基于「福域」智能新能源架构打造的中型 SUV,提供增程版(22.98 万-27.28 万元)和纯电版(25.98 万-28.28 万元)双动力选择。

其定价策略明显低于燃油版烈马,直接切入了方程豹豹 5、坦克 300 新能源等国产竞品的核心价格区间。

智趣烈马延续了 Bronco 家族方正硬朗的外观轮廓,但细节上做了电动化适配,前脸采用半封闭设计,嵌入发光「BRONCO」标识;隐藏式门把手替代了传统拉手;侧开式尾门和外挂备胎得以保留,但车身结构转为承载式,从硬派越野变为了城市 SUV。

这一变化意味着它并非传统硬派越野取向,而是更侧重城市通勤与轻度越野的平衡。新车接近角 30°、离去角 32°、最小离地间隙 220mm,参数上介于城市 SUV 与专业越野车之间。

智趣烈马全系标配四驱系统,高配长滩版提供前后电控差速锁,支持行进中上锁功能,配合 8 种地形模式应对复杂路况。

空间设计是智趣烈马的核心差异点。5025mm 的车身长度配合 2950mm 轴距,创造了同级较大的内部空间,再加上 5 座布局,整体的乘坐和储物空间都很宽裕。

新车的内饰风格比较硬朗。前排配备了一块 15.6 英寸的 2.5K 中控屏以及 70 英寸 AR-HUD,车机搭载高通骁龙 8255 芯片以及 7.5L 冷暖大冰箱和 21 扬声器音响系统。

此外、新车车顶配备电动举升机构,升起后可扩展露营空间,官方称经过了 7000 次耐久测试;160L 前备箱也针对户外场景进行了优化,采用防水可冲洗设计;尾门更是集成轻量化桌板与电磁炉接口,结合 6.6kW 对外放电能力,可满足基础烹饪需求。

这些设计反映了福特对户外场景的务实理解——不追求极限越野,而是提升日常露营场景下的便利性。

在辅助驾驶能力上,智趣烈马高配车型配备激光雷达及 32 个传感器,由双 Orin-X 芯片提供 508 TOPS 算力,支持高快速路与城市 NOA 功能。

此外烈马的特色功能「旅行路书」整合了 45 条预设路线,可以结合卫星地图提供实时景点推荐,并联动车身摄像头抓拍分享。

动力系统分两条路径:增程版采用 1.5T 增程器(110kW)与双电机组合,系统综合功率 310kW,配 43.7kWh 电池,CLTC 纯电续航 220km,综合续航 1220km;纯电版双电机总功率 332kW,搭载 105.4kWh 电池,CLTC 续航 650km。

新车的悬架系统则是前双叉臂、后五连杆,均为独立悬架。不过远湾版和墨钻版没有差速锁,长滩版配备了前桥和后桥差速锁,理论上的越野性能不输坦克 500 Hi4-Z 或比亚迪方程豹的豹 8。

安全层面,新车车身采用 25% 热成型钢,一体式后地板强度 1500MPa,全系标配 10 气囊,包含二排侧气囊及远端气囊。

福特转型意图在这台智趣烈马的身上展现的十分清晰——从强调「征服」的硬派越野,转向「可城可野」的生活场景解决方案。

智趣烈马的露营配件、外放电功能、灵活空间,都是对这一需求的精准回应。

目前市面上的竞品中,与智趣烈马最接近的应该是方程豹钛 7,两者的四驱版本配置大差不差,智趣烈马的纯电续航多了 40 公里,但价格贵了 2 万元。

如果正式发售后的价格再降一降,配合上福特烈马留存的品牌力,应该会卖得不错。

#欢迎关注爱范儿官方微信公众号:爱范儿(微信号:ifanr),更多精彩内容第一时间为您奉上。

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13.29万起售,深蓝 L06 订单1小时破2万!麋鹿测试成绩超越保时捷 911

By: 芥末
20 November 2025 at 02:33

 

我们给深蓝 L06 配置了磁流变悬架、把底盘做得也很扎实,绝对不仅仅是让大家开得快,我们更想要实现的是,大家在快的同时更加安全。

预售时就号称悬架比肩法拉利的深蓝 L06 于 11 月 18 日正式上市了,正式售价来到了 13.29 万元到 15.49 万元的区间。

深蓝官方对这台的定位很明确——以「驾控之王、座舱新贵、智驾黑马、全系宁德时代、续航领先」五大全维领先的配置,为年轻人打造一台「Dream Car」。

在这种思路下,深蓝 L06 各个层面都堪称 15 万元轿车的「卷王」。

年轻人的「Dream Car」首先当然要好看。

新车长宽高分别为 4830mm、1905mm、1480mm,轴距 2900mm,迈入了 B 级车的门槛,整体车身姿态相当运动。

深蓝 L06 采用了家族的最新设计语言,前脸造型较为简洁,视觉重点则通过两条隆起的筋线被引导至了由 3 组 LED 大灯构成的「花瓣式」大灯组上。

车身侧面的运动风格更是一览无遗,超窄无边框后视镜、车四门无框车门、随速无极可调电动尾翼、双灯带悬浮尾灯、花瓣状运动轮毂进一步加强了这辆车的运动气质。

走进车内,新车座舱为经典的 T 字形布局,提供烟晶雾灰、月光石白、舒俱来紫三种配色,副驾配备了零重力座椅,支持 8 点式按摩,并搭载了 18 扬声器音响、256 色氛围灯等配置。

在智能化配置上,深蓝 L06 配备了 50 英寸 AR-HUD 和类似新款小鹏 P7 的 15 度双向旋转向日葵屏。此外新车还搭载了球首发的 3nm 车规级座舱芯片以及四图融合实景车道级导航,通过基础导航 + 车道级导航 + SR 渲染 + 环境重构四图叠加来使信息呈现更全面。

而在 13.29 万元的起步价中,深蓝 L06 的辅助驾驶系统堪称全面。

新车全系标配了激光雷达以及 3 颗毫米波雷达、2 颗前视摄像头、4 颗侧视摄像头、4 颗环视摄像头、1 颗后视摄像头、12 颗粒超声波雷达,共 27 颗各类传感器,算力由两颗地平线 J6M 芯片提供,软件算法则采用了特斯拉同类一段式端到端智能驾驶辅助算法,支持城区、高速 NCA 以及 30 多项主动安全配置。

此外,深蓝 L06 还全系标配了采用宁德时代电芯的磷酸铁锂「金钟罩」电池,有 56.12kWh 和 68.82kWh 两种容量可选,支持 3C 快充,续航里程分别为 560km 和 670km。

深蓝强调,其「金钟罩」电池至今零自燃,且长期衰减无感知。

动力方面,深蓝 L06 全系采用后置单电机驱动,电机峰值功率 200kW,0-100km/h 加速时间最快为 5.9s。

为实现极致驾控,深蓝 L06 同时采用了同级唯一的一体化压铸车身、CTV 电池车身一体化集成技术,以及与特斯拉 Cybertruck 同款工艺的一体式热成型双门环,以及先进的后驱专用平台,配合首发搭载的「磁流变悬架技术」,深蓝 L06 以 85.6km/h 的麋鹿测试成绩成功超越了保时捷 911。

这项与 200 万元的法拉利 296 同源的悬架技术,将悬架内的介质更换为了「磁流变液」,在算法控制电流的作用下,可毫秒级改变减震器的软硬程度。

在 10ms 级的瞬时响应、1000 次/秒高频调节,以及全场景自适应软硬切换能力的加持下,「磁流变悬架」在快速过弯场景下能够迅速提升内侧减振器阻尼,从而减少车身侧倾;而在城市道路上,磁流变减振又能轻易过滤掉路面的振动、抑制红绿灯前的俯仰等等,保证舒适性,真正做到了「又快又稳」。

深蓝汽车 CEO 之前在预售发布会后,曾经发了一条微博说,「我们有信心它能成为 2025 年最具竞争力的新能源车型」。

深蓝 L06 这次一举将激光雷达、城区 NCA 等配置拉入了 13 万元的区间,全球首发的 3nm 芯片和「磁流变悬架」也足够有记忆点。

市场的反馈也足够热烈,上市价格发布 1 小时,深蓝 L06 的累计订单突破了 20000 辆。

#欢迎关注爱范儿官方微信公众号:爱范儿(微信号:ifanr),更多精彩内容第一时间为您奉上。

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Children among 25 killed in one of Russia's deadliest strikes on western Ukraine

19 November 2025 at 23:56
@zinkevich_igor Fire in destroyed high rise building@zinkevich_igor
Rescuers are working at the scene of the crash in Ternopil

Nine people have been killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Russia launched more than 470 drones and 47 missiles in the "brazen attack", he wrote in a post on Telegram.

Three districts of Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv, were hit by a massive drone attack which injured more than 30 people, including children. Photos posted online showed buildings and cars ablaze.

Power cuts are affecting a number of regions across the country, Ukraine's energy ministry said.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

Klimt painting second most expensive artwork sold at auction

19 November 2025 at 17:55
Getty Images A man stands in front of a full-length Art Nouveau portrait of a woman.Getty Images

A portrait by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt was sold for $236.4m (£179m) in New York on Tuesday, making it the second most expensive piece ever sold at auction.

Six people took part in a 20-minute bidding battle for the Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer which was painted between 1914 and 1916.

Auction house Sotheby's has not disclosed the buyer's identity.

The portrait was looted by the Nazis and almost destroyed in a fire in World War Two, but was rescued in 1948.

The artwork was returned to Lederer's brother, Erich, a friend and subject of Klimt's contemporary, Egon Schiele. The piece remained in Lederer's possession for most of his life, before he sold it in 1983, according to Sotheby's.

The painting shows Lederer, an heiress and the daughter of one of Klimt's patrons, wearing a white robe and stood in front of a blue tapestry covered in Asian motifs.

The Nazis, who annexed Austria in 1938, looted the Lederer art collection but left family portraits behind, says the National Gallery of Canada.

Estée Lauder heir Leonard A Lauder made it part of his private collection in 1985, where it was displayed in his Fifth Avenue home in New York.

Tuesday's sale shot past expectations, with the painting predicted to sell for $150m before the auction. The second highest sale for a Klimt on record was Lady with a Fan, which sold for $108.8m in 2023 in London.

Several other Klimt works in Lauder's collection were auctioned at the same event, including Flowering Meadow and Forest Slope at Unterach am Attersee, which fetched between $60m and $80m each.

The most expensive artwork ever sold at auction was Salvator Mundi, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, which sold in 2017 for $450.3m.

Tuesday also saw a sculpture of a fully functioning gold toilet by the conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan picking up $12.1m just an hour after the record-breaking Klimt sale.

The 101-kg toilet received just one bid. Sotheby's said that the buyer was a famous American brand.

Congress votes to send Epstein files bill to Trump

19 November 2025 at 19:07
Getty Images Members of Congress stand outside Capitol and behind sign that reads “Epstein Files Transparency Act” Getty Images

Both chambers of Congress agreed to order the US justice department to release its files on sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The House of Representatives overwhelming approved the measure in a 427-1 vote and the Senate unanimously fast-tracked it without a formal vote.

The moves come just days after President Donald Trump reversed his position and urged Congress to vote to disclose the records following public pushback from many of his supporters.

Last week, Trump and his ties to Epstein were thrust back into the headlines after more than 20,000 pages of documents - some mentioning the president - were released. The White House denied any wrongdoing.

Republican Clay Higgins, of Louisiana, was the sole House objector and cited his concern about “innocent people being hurt” with the release of the information.

Trump’s reversal from attacking those on Capitol Hill who wanted the files released to saying there was “nothing to hide” surprised some in Washington.

The Republican congressional leadership was caught off guard after aligning their message with the president for the past few weeks and opposing the release.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had repeatedly called the push to release the Epstein files a "Democrat hoax".

On Tuesday, he voted in support of release.

The measure had been expected to take a few days to reach the US Senate, but after the resounding afternoon vote in the House, the timeline quickly sped up.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer brought up the bill on the floor of the Senate under a procedure called unanimous consent. Because no one objected, there was no debate and no amendments added to the bill.

It will head from the Senate to the president‘s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law.

A congressional vote was not required to release the files - Trump could have ordered the release on his own.

The bill requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell no later than 30 days after the law is enacted.

Those materials include internal justice department communications, flight logs and people and entities connected to Epstein.

But the bill also gives Bondi the power to withhold information that would jeopardise any active federal investigation or identifies any victims.

Epstein, a financier, was found dead in his New York prison cell in 2019 in what a coroner ruled was a suicide.

He was being held on charges of sex trafficking, having previously been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.

During two criminal investigations into Epstein, thousands of documents were gathered, including transcripts of interviews with victims and witnesses.

Trump and Epstein previously socialised in similar circles, but the president said he cut ties with Epstein many years ago, before his 2008 conviction. The president also said he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activity.

Last week, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee published three email chains, including correspondence between Epstein and Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.

Some of those make mention of Trump, including one email, sent in 2011, in which Epstein wrote to Maxwell: “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump.. [VICTIM] spent hours at my house with him.”

The White House said last week that the victim referenced in the email was prominent Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre.

Giuffre, who died in April, has said that she never saw Trump participate in any abuse and there is no implication of any wrongdoing by Trump in the emails.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the emails were "selectively leaked" by House Democrats to "liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump".

The push for the release of the investigative files held by the Department of Justice was led by Republican Thomas Massie, a Kentucky congressman who sometimes dissents from his party, and Democrat Ro Khanna, a California congressman, both of whom introduced the legislation.

Massie has faced criticism from Trump for his push to release the files, but has stood firm.

“In 2030, he’s not going to be the president,” Massie said to ABC News over the weekend. He added that fellow Republicans who voted against release "will have voted to protect paedophiles”.

Another Republican who has pushed for the release of the files is House Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. She had been a staunch supporter of Trump before the two fell out over the issue, with the president now calling her a "traitor".

At a news conference earlier in the day on Tuesday, Greene said she is speaking up on behalf of Epstein's survivors. She also called out Trump directly.

"Let me tell you what a traitor is. A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves; a patriot is an American that serves the United States of America and Americans like the women standing behind me," Greene said.

She said that row over Epstein has been one of the "most destructive things" to Trump's Make America Great Again movement since his election in 2016.

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse also spoke at the news conference, urging lawmakers to release the files and pushing Trump to do the same.

Epstein survivor Annie Farmer said that keeping the files under wraps amounted to “institutional betrayal”.

“Because these crimes were not properly investigated, so many more girls and women were harmed,” Ms Farmer said.

'Things happen' - Trump defends Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing

19 November 2025 at 12:55
Watch: Trump says Saudi crown prince "knew nothing" about Jamal Khashoggi's murder

US President Donald Trump has said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "knew nothing" about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as he welcomed the kingdom's de facto ruler to the White House.

Trump's comments appeared to contradict a US intelligence assessment in 2021 which determined the crown prince had approved the operation that led to Khashoggi's death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

The crown prince, who has denied any wrongdoing, said at the White House that Saudi Arabia "did all the right things" to investigate Khashoggi's death.

It was his first visit to the US since the assassination, which sent shockwaves through the US-Saudi relationship.

In the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump shot back at a reporter who asked a question about the killing.

"You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial," the US president said.

"A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen."

"But he [the Crown Prince] knew nothing about it," Trump added. "You don't have to embarrass our guests."

The crown prince added that Saudi Arabia "did all the right steps" to investigate the murder, which he called "painful" and a "huge mistake".

A US intelligence report made public in 2021 - under President Joe Biden's administration - determined that the crown prince had approved of a plan to "capture or kill" Khashoggi in Istanbul. During his first administration, Trump White House officials declined to release the report.

While dozens of Saudi officials faced sanctions in the wake of the assassination, none directly targeted the crown prince.

At the time, Saudi Arabia rejected the report as "negative, false and unacceptable".

On Tuesday, Khashoggi's widow called on the crown prince to apologise for her husband's murder, for which she said there was "no justification".

"The Crown Prince said he was sorry so he should meet me, apologize and compensate me for the murder of my husband @JKhashoggi," Hanan Elatr Khashoggi posted on X. Granted political asylum in the US, she lives in the Washington DC area.

Tuesday's meeting between Trump and Mohammed bin Salman was expected to include deals on civilian nuclear power, artificial intelligence and Saudi investment in the US, which the crown prince said was being upped to $1tr (£761bn) from $600bn pledged earlier this year.

Echoing Trump's own words, bin Salman said that the US was the "hottest country on the planet" and praised the US president for creating "long-term opportunity".

The two men also discussed the potential sale of advanced F-35 fighter aircraft to the Saudis.

Trump said that while export licences were still being announced, he expected a deal between the Saudis and US defence giant Lockheed Martin.

The potential sale has caused alarm among some Israeli officials, who have said that it could potentially hurt the country's "qualitative military edge" in the Middle East, where it is so far the only nation to have F-35s.

The US president said the model sold to the Saudis would be broadly similar to the one the Israelis operate.

"This [Saudi Arabia] is a great ally, and Israel is a great ally," Trump said. "I know they'd like you to get planes of reduced calibre.

"But as far as I'm concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line," he added.

The crown prince's visit to Washington continues with a gala dinner on Tuesday night, followed by an investment summit on Wednesday.

Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo - who plays in the Saudi professional league - was also expected to be at the White House on Tuesday, a White House official confirmed to the BBC.

Biden did not host the crown prince and vowed to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah" over its human rights record. In 2022, however, Biden visited the kingdom to reach agreement on other issues.

Family of Indian man lynched over beef rumours vows to keep fighting for justice

19 November 2025 at 17:57
AFP A picture of Mohammad Akhlaq in which he is wearing a white shirt AFP
Mohammad Akhlaq was beaten to death by a mob after rumours spread that he had eaten cow meat

The family of a Muslim man, who was lynched by a Hindu mob in India's Uttar Pradesh state in 2015, say they will continue fighting for justice after authorities recently moved to drop all charges against the accused.

Mohammad Akhlaq, then 50, was beaten to death after rumours spread that he had stored and consumed beef, a claim his family continues to deny.

Slaughter of cows is a sensitive issue in India as the animal is considered sacred by Hindus, who comprise 80% of the country's 1.2 billion people. Uttar Pradesh is among the 20 states of states with strict laws banning cow slaughter and the sale and consumption of beef.

The incident, which took place in Dadri - 49km (31 miles) from capital Delhi - was the first major and widely reported case of cow-related violence in India and had sparked widespread protests.

Akhlaq's family's lawyer told BBC Hindi that 18 people were charged for various offences, including murder and rioting. All of them are out on bail.

Now the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government of Uttar Pradesh has moved a local court, asking it to drop the charges against the men.

In an application filed last month, the public prosecutor argued there were "inconsistencies" in the witness testimonies in identifying the accused and asked the court to close the case.

The court is expected to decide on whether it would accept the application on 12 December.

The news has shocked Akhlaq's family, who say they are prepared to challenge the government's plea.

"We never thought that our fight of 10 years would be attempted to be closed off like this," his younger brother Jaan Mohammad told BBC Hindi.

The family left the village shortly after the killing and has not returned.

"Now, we are scared for our safety even more," Mr Mohammad said. "Will this [move to withdraw the case] not embolden the criminals?"

Mr Mohammad says he will never forget the night his brother was murdered.

Akhlaq had been sleeping with his 22-year-old son Danish on 28 September 2015, when a mob wielding sticks, swords and cheap pistols barged into their home, accusing the family of having slaughtered a cow and consuming it.

The family said it later found out that the mob attacked him after an announcement was made from a Hindu temple that someone had slaughtered and eaten a cow.

The accused men found some meat in the fridge that the family insists was mutton, and held it as proof. While Akhlaq died on the spot, his son was seriously injured in the attack.

Adeeb Anwar/BBC A blue and red door which is the entrance to Mohammad Akhlaq's houseAdeeb Anwar/BBC
Akhlaq's family left their village home after the killing

The case sparked widespread outrage. Although initial arrests came within a week, the chargesheet took three months to file.

Many also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for speaking about the incident days after Akhlaq's death, while some BJP members, then in power at the federal level, were accused of defending the attackers.

One party leader had described the lynching as an "accident", while another said consuming beef was unacceptable.

The police, in its first chargesheet, named 15 main accused, including a juvenile and a local BJP leader's son, along with 25 witnesses. Four more accused were later added, bringing the total to 19; one died in 2016.

Last month, the Uttar Pradesh government argued that witnesses, including Akhlaq's family, had given conflicting statements during the investigation.

It noted that Akhlaq's wife initially named 10 people in her complaint, while his daughter Shaista cited 16, and his son Danish 19.

"Despite both the parties living in the same village, the witnesses have changed the number of accused," the application says.

Mohammad Yusuf Saifi, Akhlaq's family lawyer, said the "chaos and confusion" at the time of the incident made it understandable that not every witness saw all involved.

"The only thing to see is whether there is any evidence against the people who have been named," he said.

The application also noted that police seized five sticks, iron rods, and bricks from the accused, but found no firearms or swords, contrary to what Akhlaq's wife had stated in her complaint.

It further stated that officials had recovered cow meat from the spot. In 2016, a case was filed against Akhlaq's family under the cow slaughter law - and is still pending before a court in Uttar Pradesh.

The family has however has repeatedly denied the allegation.

Mr Saifi, alleged the case was meant to "pressurise" the family, noting that a local veterinary report identified the meat as goat, not cow.

As the family anxiously waits for the court's verdict, they are holding out hope.

"I still have faith in the court," Akhlaq's brother, Mr Mohammad, said. "I believe justice would be done one day."

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Lebanon says Israeli strike killed 13 people near Palestinian refugee camp

19 November 2025 at 06:19
Reuters Emergency vehicles parked at the entrance of Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon.Reuters

At least 13 people have been killed in an Israeli strike near a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, the country's health ministry says.

The Israeli military said it had targeted members of the Palestinian armed group Hamas "operating in a training compound... in the Ein el-Hilweh area".

It said the location was used by Hamas to plan and carry out attacks against Israel - but provided no evidence to support the claims. Hamas has not commented.

Israel has carried out regular air strikes on people and places in Lebanon since a deal to end the conflict with the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah. Most strikes have targeted Hezbollah but Israel has also attacked Hamas in the country.

As well as those killed in the strike, Lebanon's health ministry said at least four people had been left wounded.

Images showed emergency workers at the entrance of Ein el-Hilweh, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.

Footage online also showed ambulances rushing through the narrow streets of the crowded camp as a huge plume of smoke billowed from the location hit.

Initial reports say the attack struck an area outside a mosque that is usually busy at night. Palestinian factions are known to be present in the camp.

In its statement, the IDF said "measures were taken to reduce the chance of harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions, aerial observations, and additional intelligence information".

Hamas attacked southern Israel from Gaza on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others as hostages. Israel's military response has killed at least 69,169 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated after the Lebanese group fired rockets at Israeli positions the day after 7 October 2023. Hezbollah said it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel and Hezbollah fought an escalating conflict for 13 months that culminated in an intense Israeli bombing campaign and ground incursion into southern Lebanon in October 2024.

Lebanese authorities said Israel's attacks killed about 4,000 people there - including many civilians - and led to the displacement of more than 1.2 million residents. Israeli authorities said more than 80 of its soldiers and 47 of its civilians were killed in the hostilities.

Two Miss Universe judges quit scandal-hit pageant, as one claims it's rigged

19 November 2025 at 17:20
EPA Beauty queen with blonde heair wearing Miss Universe crown and sash and a deep purple gown is applauded by contestantsEPA
The 74th Miss Universe will be crowned in Bangkok, Thailand on 21 November

Two Miss Universe judges have resigned days before the annual beauty pageant, with one of them accusing organisers of rigging the selection process.

Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch, who announced his resignation from the eight-member jury on Instagram, alleged that an "impromptu jury" had pre-selected finalists ahead of the competition, set to be held on Friday in Thailand.

Hours later, French football manager Claude Makélélé also announced he'd pulled out, citing "unforeseen personal reasons".

The resignations come just weeks after several Miss Universe contestants walked out of a pre-pageant event over controversial comments made by an official from host nation Thailand.

"An impromptu jury has been formed to select 30 finalists from among the 136 participating countries, without the presence of any of the real [eight] members of the jury, including me," Mr Harfouch wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday, saying he had discovered this via social media.

The unofficial jury comprises "individuals with a significant potential conflict of interest due to some personal relationships with some of the Miss Universe contestants", he claimed.

Mr Harfouch did not elaborate on how this "impromptu jury" would function, or how it would override the official jury's decision.

Watch: Miss Universe contestants stage walkout after organiser berates Miss Mexico

The Miss Universe Organisation on Tuesday put out a statement to rebuff Mr Harfouch's claims, saying that "no external group has been authorised to evaluate delegates or select finalists".

It suggested that Mr Harfouch may have been referring to the Beyond the Crown programme: a "social impact initiative" that operates independently from the Miss Universe competition, and has a separate selection committee.

The Miss Universe Organisation announced the Beyond the Crown selection committee on Monday. In its statement on Tuesday, the Organisation said that Mr Harfouch's allegations had "mischaracterised" the programme.

Mr Makélélé, who also announced his resignation via Instagram, described it as a "difficult decision".

"I hold Miss Universe in the highest regard. The platform represents empowerment, diversity, and excellence - values I have always championed throughout my career," he wrote.

The beauty pageant drew backlash earlier this month after its Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly berated Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch, at a pre-pageant event for not posting promotional content on her social media platforms.

In videos that have since gone viral, Ms Bosch and several other contestants could be seen walking out of the event, and some could be heard shouting at Mr Nawat.

Mr Nawat later claimed that some of his words were misunderstood - but his conduct nevertheless prompted a stern rebuke from Miss Universe Organisation, which has since sent a delegation of international executives to take over running the competition.

The only 'no' vote on releasing Epstein files

19 November 2025 at 08:48
Watch: Moment House passes bill to release Epstein files

Nearly every Republican in the US House of Representatives voted on a bill to compel the release of documents tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The lone "nay" came from the Republican lawmaker from Louisiana, Clay Higgins, who defied his party saying his vote was a principled "NO".

"What was wrong with the bill three months ago is still wrong today," Higgins wrote on X. "It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America."

The resounding vote in favour of the Epstein bill, 427-1, marks a rare moment of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill. Hours later, the US senate too approved the legislation, clearing the way for the final act - President Donald Trump's signature.

Getty Images Clay Higgins is speaking during a House committee meetingGetty Images

For Higgins, safeguarding the personal information of Epstein's many victims was the primary issue with the legislation.

"As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people – witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc," he wrote on X. "If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt."

Higgins said he would support the bill if it were to be amended by the Senate, which Republican majority leader John Thune had already suggested was unlikely.

"When a bill comes out of the House 427 to 1 and the president said he's going to sign it, I'm not sure that amending it is in the cards," Thune said before the Senate's unanimous approval for the bill on Tuesday.

Prior to the House passing the legislation, only four Republicans had joined all Democrats in signing a petition to force a vote - Thomas Massie, Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

But it achieved overwhelming Republican support after President Trump dropped his opposition to a vote.

Higgins has represented Louisiana's third district since 2017 and is widely regarded as one of the most conservative members of Congress, according to his website.

His holdout vote in the wake of 200-plus members of his party voting otherwise is not the first time he has taken an unorthodox stance.

In 2024, House Republicans voted to censure Higgins for offensive remarks he made on social media after he called Haiti "the nastiest country in the western hemisphere" and referred to Haitians as "eating pets" and "slapstick gangsters".

"All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th," Higgins wrote.

Facebook removed two posts from Higgins in 2020, after he wrote he would "drop any 10 of you where you stand", referring to any armed protesters that might attend a Louisiana demonstration against police brutality.

Facebook told Business Insider at the time the posts "were removed for violating our policies against inciting violence".

Before Congress, Higgins was a member of Louisiana's St Landry's Parish Sheriff's Office. He resigned in 2016 amid backlash about a controversial anti-crime video where he was seen holding a rifle and making threats against gang members.

The BBC has contacted Higgins's office for comment.

Larry Summers resigns from OpenAI board after Epstein emails made public

19 November 2025 at 21:32
Getty Images Larry Summers speaks at a conferenceGetty Images
Summers said he would step back from public commitments after a House committee released his frequent messages with Epstein

Former US treasury secretary Larry Summers is stepping down from the board at OpenAI, a week after a tranche of emails between him and late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was released.

Summers said in a statement to the BBC that he was "grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress".

Summers, who was also once the president of Harvard University, said on Monday that he would be stepping back from public commitments over his ties to Epstein.

The recently released emails showed Summers communicated with Epstein until the day before Epstein's 2019 arrest for the alleged sex trafficking of minors.

In a statement, the artificial intelligence company said it respected Summers' decision to resign.

"We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board," OpenAI said.

The news comes after both chambers of Congress agreed on Tuesday to pass a measure to require the US justice department to release its files on Epstein.

The measure will then head to the desk of US President Donald Trump for approval. He has said he plans to sign the bill, after reversing his position on the issue following pushback from his supporters.

A batch of Epstein-related emails released by the House Oversight Committee last week mentioned a number of high-profile figures in the financier's former circle, without indicating any legal wrongdoing by those figures.

The emails indicated that Summers and Epstein dined together frequently, with Epstein often trying to connect Summers to prominent global figures.

After the emails were shared with the public, Summers said he took "full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr Epstein".

He added that he wanted "to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me".

Summers held senior posts under two Democratic presidents; serving as treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, and as director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama.

He led Harvard from 2001 to 2006 and remains a professor there. When announcing his step-down from public commitments earlier on Monday, he said he would continue his teaching commitments.

Following Summers' announcement on Monday, the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in Washington where Summers was a senior fellow, confirmed that Summers was no longer affiliated with the organisation.

Summers joined the board of OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, in 2023 - following a failed attempt to oust its chief executive Sam Altman.

Kenyan authorities paid trolls to threaten Gen Z protesters, Amnesty says

19 November 2025 at 23:17
AFP via Getty Images Four male protesters, standing in a row, raise their arms in an "X" symbol.AFP via Getty Images
More than 100 people were killed during the protests, rights groups say

The Kenyan authorities paid a network of trolls to threaten and intimidate young protesters during recent anti-government demonstrations, Amnesty International has said.

A new report by the human rights organisation said government agencies also employed surveillance and disinformation to target organisers of the mass protests, which swept Kenya across 2024 and 2025.

The demonstrations were driven largely by "Gen Z" activists who used social media platforms to mobilise.

In response to Amnesty's report, Kenya's interior minister said the government "does not sanction harassment or violence against any citizen".

But Amnesty said it had uncovered a campaign to "silence and suppress" the protesters.

Young women and LGBT+ activists were disproportionately targeted, with misogynistic and homophobic comment, as well as AI-generated pornographic images, the report said.

The BBC has approached the government for further comment.

One activist told Amnesty: "I had people coming into my inbox and telling me: 'You will die and leave your kids. We will come and attack you'.

"I even had to change my child's school. Someone sent me my child's name, the age... the school bus number plate. They told me: 'If you continue doing what you're doing then we will take care of this child for you'."

The report features a man who said he was part of a team paid between 25,000 and 50,000 Kenyan shillings (about $190-$390; £145-£300) per day to amplify government messaging and drown out trending protest hashtags on social media platform X.

As well as digital abuse, the authorities have also been accused of carrying out a brutal crackdown on the protests.

More than 100 people died, rights groups say, when police clashed with protesters during two waves of demonstrations - one in 2024 and one in 2025.

The authorities were also accused of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and using lethal force against the protesters.

The government accepted there had been some case of excessive force by police, but also defended the security forces in other instances.

The demonstrations railed against issues such as proposed tax rises, increasing femicide and corruption.

Amnesty chief Agnès Callamard said the organisation's report "clearly demonstrates widespread and coordinated tactics on digital platforms to silence and suppress protests by young activists".

"Our research also proves that these campaigns are driven by state-sponsored trolls, individuals and networks paid to promote pro-government messages and dominate Kenya's daily trends on X," she added.

Kenya's Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said: "The government of Kenya does not sanction harassment, or violence against any citizen... any officer implicated in unlawful conduct bears individual responsibility and is subject to investigation and sanction."

Amnesty also raised concerns about unlawful state surveillance, including allegations - denied by Kenya's largest telecom provider, Safaricom - that authorities used mobile data to monitor protest leaders.

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All 246 passengers rescued after ferry runs aground in South Korea

19 November 2025 at 23:34
Yonhap News A photo shows a ship that has run aground in South Korea.Yonhap News

A South Korean passenger ferry carrying 246 passengers and 21 crew has run aground on rocks off the country's south-east coast.

The Queen Jenuvia 2 is stuck on a reef and unable to move, but there is currently no risk of sinking or capsizing, according to the Coast Guard. People are currently being moved to patrol boats, it said.

The accident happened near Jangsan Island in Sinan County on Wednesday evening local time. The vessel ran aground on rocks near the uninhabited island of Jogdo.

Local media reported that five people sustained minor injuries from the impact of the grounding, but there have been no other casualties.

South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok has ordered all available vessels to be mobilised to rescue the ferry.

"We have confirmed that there is currently no flooding. We are transferring passengers to patrol boats and moving them to a safe location," a Coast Guard official said, Chosun Ilbo newspaper reports.

The Coast Guard plans to move the vessel ashore at high tide.

The ferry was travelling to the port city of Mokpo after departing from the resort island of Jeju, carrying 246 passengers and 21 crew members, the Coast Guard.

The area is near the site of the sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014 that killed more than 300 people, mostly school children heading for a school trip.

Nicki Minaj supports contested Trump claim Christians being persecuted in Nigeria

19 November 2025 at 23:04
Getty Images Nicki Minaj at the 2025 Met Gala.Getty Images
The star says she and her fans 'never stand down in the face of injustice'

Nicki Minaj - the US-based, multi-million-selling Trinidadian rapper - has publicly backed President Donald Trump's allegations that Christians face persecution in Nigeria.

"In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted," Minaj said on Tuesday at a UN event organised by the US, adding that "Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart … simply because of how they pray."

It follows recent threats by Trump to send troops into Nigeria "guns a-blazing" if its government "continues to allow the killing of Christians".

But the Nigerian presidency says the widespread violence that has long plagued the West African nation affects everyone, regardless of background or belief.

Minaj, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, said calling for the protection of Christians in Nigeria "is not about taking sides or dividing people,"but about "uniting humanity".

"This is about standing up in the face of injustice. It's about what I've always stood for," she added while standing alongside the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz.

The 42-year-old rapper thanked Trump for "prioritizing this issue and for his leadership".

She described Nigeria as "a beautiful nation with deep faith traditions" and even acknowledged the "beautiful Barbz" - her fans - in the West African country.

Waltz thanked the rapper for "leveraging her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria".

For months, right-wing campaigners and politicians in Washington have been alleging that Islamist militants were systematically targeting Christians in Nigeria.

But the BBC has found that some of the data being relied on to come to this conclusion is difficult to verify.

Deadly disputes are also often over vital resources like land and water or fuelled by inter-ethnic tensions, rather than religion, say analysts.

Nigeria's government does not deny that there is deadly violence in the country. But says that, "Terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology - Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike".

Minaj previously namechecked her fanbase, known as the "Barbz", as a reason for her intervention, saying online: "The Barbz & I will never stand down in the face of injustice. We've been given our influence by God. There must be a bigger purpose."

Last year she publicly revealed that despite moving from her native Trinidad to New York at an early age, she still does not have US citizenship.

Her appearance at the UN on Tuesday is her highest-profile political intervention to date.

She made headlines during the pandemic for sharing disinformation about side-effects of the Covid vaccine - claiming that when a friend of her cousin had the jab, it caused his testicles to swell up and he became impotent.

"His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding," Minaj wrote online.

Her comments were criticised by UK's chief medical officer at the time, and then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson also commented, joking: "I am not as familiar with the works of Nicki Minaj as I probably should be."

In recent months, her years-long feud with fellow New York rapper Cardi B escalated in them trading insults about each others' careers and family members.

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Two schoolgirls escape Nigeria kidnap ordeal, official says

19 November 2025 at 01:12
Getty Images An anonymous man holding a gun.Getty Images
Gunmen stormed an all-girls' boarding school on Monday (stock image)

Two girls, who were among at least 25 children and a teacher kidnapped from their boarding school in north-western Nigeria's Kebbi state on Monday, have managed to escape, a local official told the BBC.

The pair ran away as their armed captors were leading them into the bushes and got away across farmland, Hussaini Aliyu of Danko Wasagu council said.

He added that the girls were "back and are safe", but one of them needed medical treatment as she had hurt her leg while fleeing.

The assault left two members of staff dead - a teacher was killed while trying to protect girls and a security guard later died in hospital from gunshot wounds.

A team of soldiers, police and volunteers are combing forested areas in an attempt to rescue the captives seized by the gunmen.

"You must continue day and night fighting. We must find these children," Maj Gen Waidi Shaibu, Nigeria's army chief of staff, told troops sent to Kebbi state.

Over the past decade, schools in northern Nigeria have become frequent targets for armed groups, who often carry out abductions to seek ransom payments or leverage deals with the government.

Police say the gunmen, described locally as "bandits", invaded the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town at about 04:00 (03:00 GMT) on Monday.

Parents face an agonising wait.

One inconsolable father, whose daughter is still being held captive, told BBC Hausa that his family had been crying non-stop and "it's hard to go back home and look at their faces".

He said he had two daughters enrolled at the school one of whom had successfully hid from the attackers, but the other had not been so lucky.

"My two daughters hid in the toilet when the armed men invaded their hostel.

"When the [gunmen] ordered all those hiding to come out, or else they'll kill them, one of my daughters got scared and came out," the father said.

He added that he had heard of the abductions after the Muslim early-morning prayer on Monday, and had rushed to the school and been there ever since.

"My daughter is a very bright and easy-going person," he said.

Police say the attackers "engaged police personnel on duty in a gun duel" before climbing over the perimeter fence and taking the girls from their hostel.

The security guard who died had a granddaughter and great-granddaughter at the same school and they are among those kidnapped.

It has devastated his family.

"I found him in his pool of blood," the security guard's daughter told the BBC. "Then they took my daughter and also my granddaughter."

She said she had been unable to eat or sleep ever since.

The attack highlights the persistent security crisis plaguing the region, leaving families in a state of fear.

Nigeria's central government says it is "deeply concerned" by the abductions.

In a statement on Monday, Information Minister Mohammed Idris Malagi said the authorities "share in the pain" of the affected families and were working urgently to rescue the girls.

He added that President Bola Tinubu remained "unwavering in his commitment to protect every Nigerian, especially schoolchildren".

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Zelensky visits Turkey in bid to 'intensify' peace talks

19 November 2025 at 18:20
Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks off into the distance. He's wearing a black shirt. Reuters

US special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to join talks with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday, as the Ukrainian president said he wanted to "intensify" peace negotiations.

"Bringing the end of the war closer with all our might is Ukraine's top priority," Zelensky said, adding that efforts would also focus on resuming prisoner exchanges.

Turkey has maintained ties with both Kyiv and Moscow and has previously hosted talks between the two factions.

But no Russian representative is set to join the meeting in Ankara, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He added that while there were "no concrete plans" for Vladimir Putin to speak to either the Turkish side or to Witkoff, the Russian president was "of course open to a conversation".

Ankara will be the fourth capital Zelensky visits in only a few days. In Athens he secured a gas deal, in Paris he signed a deal with France to obtain up to 100 fighter jets and in Madrid he held talks on co-operation with Spanish arms manufacturers.

The visits are part of Zelensky's mission to try to shore up European support for Ukraine while Russian attacks on the country intensify and Moscow's troops close in on the key city eastern city of Pokrovsk.

Domestically, Zelensky is facing the most serious crisis in years. Several members of his closest circle are under investigation for co-organising a large-scale criminal scheme, and two ministers have resigned.

The scandal threatens to widen still and some EU leaders – who in December will decide whether to unblock a €140bn (£121bn) loan for Kyiv based on frozen Russian state assets – have warned Zelensky needs to do more to tackle corruption.

As the fourth anniversary of the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 inches closer, Moscow and Kyiv remain fundamentally opposed in their views of how to end the war.

Earlier in November Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia's conditions for a peace deal had not changed since Putin laid them out in 2024.

At the time, the Russian president demanded that Kyiv renounce any ambition to join Nato, as well as full Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

Zelensky has repeatedly argued that withdrawing from Donetsk and Luhansk – together known as the Donbas – would leave the rest of the country vulnerable to future attacks.

Following a long meeting with Putin in April, Witkoff appeared to suggest that a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv hinged on the status of the contested Ukrainian regions as well as Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. This stance led to tensions with Zelensky, who accused him of "disseminating Russian narratives".

Zelensky and Witkoff have not met since early September. Although the summer saw a flurry of high-level talks and meetings - including between Trump and Putin - American efforts to bring a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine closer have stalled.

At one point, it appeared Trump and Putin were about to meet again in Budapest –but that summit was scrapped, apparently after the US side became aware that Moscow had no intention of budging from several demands that were unacceptable to Kyiv.

But contact between US and Russian officials has continued, albeit under the radar. Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev was reportedly in Washington for meetings with Witkoff in late October, only days after Trump imposed sanctions on Russia's two biggest oil companies.

媒体: 日本正准备重启世界最大核电站

20 November 2025 at 02:15
19/11/2025 - 18:38

法新社引述日媒今天报导, 日本新泻县知事花角英世预计将在本周批准重启其县内的柏崎刈羽核能发电厂,也是全球规模最大的核电厂。

据共同社和《日经新闻》援引匿名消息人士报道,位于日本中西部地区的柏崎刈羽核电站本周有望获得当地知事批准重启运营。

媒体报道称,该核电站所在的新潟县知事花角英世将于周五在新闻发布会上发表讲话。

12日,围绕东京电力公司柏崎刈羽核电站重启问题,花角英世与核电站所在地的该县柏崎市市长樱井雅浩、刈羽村村长品田宏夫在市内举行了会谈。

法新社说, 在柏崎刈羽核电站的七座反应堆中,只有一座将恢复运行。

2011年海啸和福岛第一核电站事故后,日本关闭了所有核反应堆。

自那以来,已有14座反应堆(主要位于西部和南部地区)在实施严格的安全标准后恢复了运行。

如果柏崎刈羽核电站的重启获得批准,这将是福岛核电站运营商东京电力公司在灾难后首次重启核电站。

日本政府继续支持核能,认为这是日本实现2050年碳中和目标所需的可靠、清洁的能源。

无人机再侵罗马尼亚 德国战机和罗马尼亚战机紧急升空

20 November 2025 at 02:15
19/11/2025 - 18:50

与乌克兰接壤的北约成员国罗马尼亚周三凌晨出动战斗机应对再次入侵其领空的无人机。

罗马尼亚国防部表示,在俄罗斯空袭乌克兰之后,两架驻扎在罗马尼亚的德国战机于午夜过后不久升空监控罗-乌接壤地区的空中情况。

罗马尼亚国防部补充说:“另有两架罗马尼亚空军的F-16战斗机紧急升空。

罗马尼亚国防部的声明说说,在俄罗斯空袭乌克兰靠罗马尼亚的边境后,“无人机在雷达上断断续续地出现了约12分钟”,并补充说,目前尚未收到地面坠落的报告。

罗马尼亚军方当局已向无人机出没的两个地方的居民发送预警通知。

周一,在俄罗斯无人机袭击乌克兰的一艘运载液化石油气的船只并引发火灾后,罗马尼亚下令疏散两个村庄,这是该国自乌克兰战争以来首次采取此类行动。疏散令已于周二解除。

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