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Starmer faces calls to strip Egyptian activist of British citizenship #Starmer #faces #calls #strip #Egyptian #activist #British #citizenship

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Alaa Abd El-Fattah was arrested in Egypt in September 2019 and sentenced in December 2021 to five years in prison for spreading false news.

His imprisonment was called a violation of international law by UN investigators and he was pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi in September after years of lobbying by the Conservative and Labor governments.

He flew to the UK on Boxing Day and was reunited with his son, who lives in Brighton, after a travel ban was lifted.

Since then, posts have appeared dating back to 2010 in which the activist appears to call for violence against Zionists and the police.

The Press Association was unable to verify the tweets.

Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage have called on the Home Secretary to examine whether the Egyptian dissident could be stripped of his British citizenship and deported.

Conservative leader Ms Badenoch said it was “inconceivable” that no one had seen the statements published by Mr Abd El-Fattah over the years and suggested those who had seen them considered them “offensive but not serious, or just vague remarks”.

Writing in the Daily Mail, she said: “I don’t want people who hate Britain coming to our country.

“And when such views become part of an individual’s public record, they must be considered when decisions are made about citizenship. We have been too complacent for too long.”

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick previously described the campaigner’s links to the UK as “tenuous at best” and said he was granted citizenship because of a “loophole”, in comments to Sky News.

Nigel Farage's racism allegations
British Reform leader Nigel Farage has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood asking her to revoke Mr Abd El-Fattah’s citizenship (Jane Barlow/PA)

Mr Abd El-Fattah was granted British citizenship in December 2021 under Boris Johnson, apparently through his UK-born mother.

Britain’s reform leader, Mr Farage, wrote to Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood asking her to revoke Mr Abd El-Fattah’s citizenship.

Mr Farage notes that MPs and peers from parties including Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have championed his cause.

“Indeed, it was the conservatives who granted citizenship to Mr. el-Fattah in 2021 while he was still imprisoned.

“That none of these parties demonstrated basic due diligence towards this unpleasant individual is, frankly, astonishing.

“It goes without saying that anyone with racist and anti-British views such as those of Mr el-Fattah should not be allowed into the UK,” he said.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Foreign Office said: “Mr El-Fattah is a British citizen.

“It has been a long-standing priority under successive governments to work towards his release and to see him reunited with his family in the UK.

“The government condemns Mr. El-Fattah’s historic tweets and considers them abhorrent. »

It is understood Sir Keir was unaware of the social media posts when he said he was “delighted” Mr Abd El-Fattah had returned to the UK.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it had raised its concerns with the government and that it was “urgent” to know whether Mr Abd El-Fattah still shared the views expressed online.

“His previous extremist and violent rhetoric targeting ‘Zionists’ and white people in general poses a threat to British Jews and the general public,” the committee said.

Separately, the Council of Jewish Leaders has expressed concerns about the safety of Jewish communities following recent anti-Semitic attacks in Manchester and Bondi Beach in Australia.

Abd was elt-Fathatah
Laila Soueif (centre right), the mother of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, takes part in a vigil in honor of the formerly imprisoned pro-democracy activist (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

The council said: “We are dismayed by the warm welcome Alaa Abd El-Fattah has received from the British government.

“The Prime Minister recently reiterated his determination to eradicate anti-Semitism from our country, but now he shares his delight that someone who advocates the assassination of Zionists has arrived in the UK. »

Iain Duncan Smith was among those who expressed regret for pushing for the release of Mr Abd El-Fattah.

The former Conservative Party leader urged police to investigate the comments.

Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, former chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said she felt “deeply disappointed and frankly betrayed” after learning of Mr Abd El-Fattah’s “grotesque tweets” after supporting his cause.

She said he “must unequivocally apologize and make clear that he now totally rejects the hatred and anti-Semitism he expressed which is completely incompatible with British values”.

Mr. Abd El-Fattah was one of the main actors in the Arab Spring uprising in Egypt in 2011 and began a hunger strike behind bars.

In 2014, the blogger’s posts on Twitter earned him a nomination for the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize.

The group supporting him withdrew its nomination for the human rights award, saying it discovered a 2012 tweet in which he called for the killing of Israelis.



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MARKETS EUROPE/DAX is up slightly at target level #MARKETS #EUROPEDAX #slightly #target #level

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DJ MARKETS EUROPA/DAX is up slightly from the target level

DOW JONES–European stock markets are higher Tuesday afternoon. There is little news and most investors are no longer active as the start of the year approaches. We cannot exclude the so-called “window dressing” of individual stocks, i.e. the targeted maintenance of prices in the portfolios of institutional investors. On some exchanges, trading is shortened only on Tuesdays. Trading in Germany and Austria ends at 2 p.m. THIS. While today is the last trading day of the year on some exchanges, shortened listings will take place on Wednesday in Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris.

The DAX gained 0.5 percent to 24,476 points; the index is up 22 percent since the start of the year. The DAX can look back on an excellent year overall. “A closer look, however, shows that only the first half of the year was excellent for the DAX. The second half of the year was more of a sideways trend,” explains QC Partners. The MDAX is once again lagging and is up 19 percent year to date. The TecDAX has a meager yield of 5 percent. This continues the pattern of German blue-chip companies performing better in their international operations than German mid-sized companies. Whether this will change with Germany’s billion-dollar investment program remains to be seen.

The Euro-Stoxx-50 rose by 0.6 percent to 5,789 points. The majority of the year’s best-performing countries come from the South, where European economic growth was based last year. The Spanish stock market rose by 48 percent, while in Athens the index even rose by 50 percent.

On the foreign exchange market, the euro changes little, at $1.1769; During the year, the greenback lost a lot of value. This is unlikely to make it easier for European companies to sell more expensive products around the world due to the strength of the euro next year. Yields on the bond markets are up slightly. After the liquidation of the day before, precious metals are recovering. The price of gold rose 1.2 percent to $4,385, silver rose 3.8 percent to $74.90. Not surprisingly, European mining stocks were one of the day’s winners, rising 1.6 percent. Shares of silver producer Fresnillo rose 5.5 percent.

The geopolitical situation remains tense. US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with a military strike if the country resumes its nuclear program. Meanwhile, Hamas was threatened with serious consequences if the terrorist organization did not lay down its arms. Finally, China is organizing one of the largest military exercises in recent years off the coast of Taiwan. This is likely a reaction to the recent announcement of US arms deliveries to the island nation.

Additionally, the United States recently carried out an attack on a port area in Venezuela where US President Trump said drugs were being loaded onto boats and smuggled across international waters, saying a “big explosion” had occurred. Oil prices are barely reacting to this news. Brent is up 0.4 percent.

Defense stocks are recovering after the selling pressures of the day before. There is still no sign of progress in peace or ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine. Rheinmetall gained 2.1 percent, Renk 2.5 percent and Hensoldt 0.9 percent.

Meanwhile, bank stocks continue to run. The sector can look forward to a good year in 2025 thanks to the rise in yields on the bond markets. Deutsche Bank gains 1.5 percent and Commerzbank 2.0 percent.

Chipmaker Infineon’s sales growth (+1.8%) is down, with only one sector seeing strong growth: semiconductors to power AI data centers. “We are seeing a strong increase in demand and many indicators suggest that this will continue in the coming years,” CEO Jochen Hanebeck told Handelsblatt. “We currently cannot deliver as much as customers order.”

=== 
INDEX           zuletzt    +/- %  absolut +/- % YTD 
Euro-Stoxx-50      5.788,57    +0,6%   36,86   +17,4% 
Stoxx-50         4.918,84    +0,5%   25,52   +13,6% 
DAX           24.476,16    +0,5%   125,04   +22,3% 
MDAX          30.548,50    +0,3%   95,97   +18,4% 
TecDAX          3.613,61    +0,4%   13,79   +5,0% 
SDAX          17.094,60    +0,5%   78,05   +22,6% 
CAC           8.141,91    +0,4%   29,89   +9,8% 
SMI           13.259,65    +0,1%   19,06   +14,2% 
ATX           5.304,29    +1,1%   56,33   +43,2% 
 
DEVISEN          zuletzt    +/- %    0:00 Mo, 18:00  % YTD 
EUR/USD          1,1769    +0,0%   1,1767   1,1756  +13,7% 
EUR/JPY          183,56    -0,1%   183,67   183,59  +13,1% 
EUR/CHF          0,9286    -0,1%   0,9291   0,9287  -1,0% 
EUR/GBP          0,8715    -0,0%   0,8716   0,8712  +5,4% 
USD/JPY          155,94    -0,1%   156,03   156,12  -0,5% 
GBP/USD          1,3505    +0,0%   1,3502   1,3494  +7,9% 
USD/CNY          7,0292    -0,0%   7,0312   7,0324  -2,3% 
USD/CNH          6,9881    -0,2%   6,9987   7,0001  -4,5% 
AUS/USD          0,6701    +0,1%   0,6693   0,6690  +8,4% 
Bitcoin/USD       87.770,40    +0,6% 87.232,35 87.544,55  -7,3% 
 
ROHÖL           zuletzt VT-Settlem.   +/- %  +/- USD  % YTD 
WTI/Nymex          58,29    58,08   +0,4%    0,21  -20,9% 
Brent/ICE          62,12    61,94   +0,3%    0,18  -19,4% 
 
METALLE          zuletzt    Vortag   +/- %  +/- USD  % YTD 
Gold           4.384,52   4.330,40   +1,2%   54,12  +72,8% 
Silber           74,90    72,18   +3,8%    2,73 +173,6% 
Platin          1.854,76   1.791,70   +3,5%   63,06 +137,7% 
Kupfer            5,49     5,49     0%    0,00  +33,6% 
YTD bezogen auf Schlussstand des Vortags 
(Angaben ohne Gewähr) 
=== 

Contact the author: maerkte.de@dowjones.com

DJG/thl/ros

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 30, 2025 7:01 a.m. ET (12:01 p.m. GMT)

Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.



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Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic prepares for MRI after injuring knee in Miami #Nuggets #Nikola #Jokic #prepares #MRI #injuring #knee #Miami

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MIAMI — Nuggets star Nikola Jokic limped off the court at halftime of Denver’s 147-123 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday night after injuring his left knee about three seconds before intermission.

He was not on the field in the second half and will have an MRI on Tuesday.

“Immediately he knew something was wrong,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said after the game. “Hey, that’s part of the NBA. Anyone who gets hurt in this game, it’s a little heartbreaking, especially someone as special as him. We’ll know more tomorrow. We’ll move forward as a team. Obviously, right now, I’m more concerned about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like this.”

Jokic was alone under the basket and appeared to step forward to help Denver’s Spencer Jones defend a drive by Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. as time was about to expire in the second quarter. While reversing, Jones stepped on Jokic’s left foot and it appeared the center’s knee bent a bit.

Jokic collapsed on the court, grabbing his knee. He was helped to his feet, then made his way to the locker room under his own power but with a pronounced limp. He was evaluated by doctors Monday night before leaving the arena, and the Nuggets were scheduled to fly to Toronto on Tuesday for a game against the Raptors on Wednesday.

“It’s just part of this process,” Adelman said. “You don’t get definitive answers right after these things happen. I know he’s an extremely special player that people want updates on immediately; that makes perfect sense to me. But we will follow the process properly, for him and for our team.”

The Nuggets have faced major injury issues this season and were playing Monday without three potential contenders: Christian Braun (left ankle sprain), Aaron Gordon (right hamstring sprain) and Cameron Johnson (right knee injury management).

Denver has managed to fight its way through these injuries – thanks in large part to Jokic.

“The things he’s doing this year,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before Monday’s game, “are really remarkable.”

Jokic had 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in the first half on Monday. If he sits out for any length of time, it will be a major blow to Denver and, in some ways, the entire NBA, given that he is one of the game’s superstars. Even a month’s absence would mean about 16 games, which could have a serious impact on Denver’s standing in a loaded Western Conference.

“Tonight my mind is going to wander,” Adelman said. “And there will be questions about what we should do in the future if he is out for a while or a long period of time.”

Jokic is a three-time MVP and was certainly early in the MVP conversation this season, having started Monday averaging 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists – on track to average a triple-double for the second straight campaign.

“He’s not only a big part of what we do, but almost everything we do,” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said. “We just want to see him healthy, and everyone here is ready to step up.”

Jokic has also been remarkably durable. He has missed 36 games over the past five seasons; the Nuggets went 13-23 during those absences. He played in all 32 games for Denver this season.

“I hope for the best,” Adelman said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking Putin’s residence with drones; Kyiv denies allegations #Russia #accuses #Ukraine #attacking #Putins #residence #drones #Kyiv #denies #allegations

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The conflict, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of launching a large-scale drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences in the Novgorod region, a claim kyiv dismissed as a “fabrication” intended to derail ongoing peace talks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine deployed 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) overnight from Sunday to Monday. He claimed that all drones were intercepted and destroyed by Russian air defenses and that there were no casualties or damage. Lavrov called Ukraine’s actions “state terrorism” and warned that Russia would reconsider its negotiating position in the U.S.-led peace process.

Ukraine has strongly denied these allegations. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the claims “typical Russian lies” designed to justify further attacks on Ukraine and undermine peace efforts with the United States. “It is essential that the world does not remain silent now,” Zelensky said on X, calling for continued international support for the negotiations.

The accusation comes shortly after Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump in Florida to discuss a revised peace plan. Ukraine says it has accepted 90% of the US proposal, including post-war security guarantees, although territorial disputes remain unresolved.

Zelensky rejected the request

Speaking to Fox News, Zelensky said that while there is a “possibility of ending this war” by 2026, Ukraine still counts on support from the United States. He also expressed skepticism about Putin’s desire to seek peace.

The conflict, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has left much of the eastern Donbass region disputed. Russia controls around 75% of Donetsk and 99% of Luhansk, while Ukraine continues to resist Moscow’s advances.

As tensions rise, international attention is now focused on whether alleged attacks like the one on Putin’s residence further complicate the fragile peace process.



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