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Challenging the Client
Civilian casualties reported in DRC conflict following peace deal signing
Children were among at least 23 people reported killed in fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just a day after the signing of a US-backed peace agreement between the leaders of the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda.
Published On 6 Dec 2025
Tyson Fury evaluates the strength of Usyk and Deontay Wilder as Usyk considers offering Wilder a title shot
They are two contrasting heavyweights — in style, skill and power — and Tyson Fury has faced them a combined five times.
After bamboozling Wladimir Klitschko in Germany to claim the lineal heavyweight championship and three world titles, Fury’s subsequent fall from grace led to an unlikely resurgence in which both Deontay Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk played pivotal roles.
His comeback, launched with the backing of promoter Frank Warren, didn’t begin explosively but was steady enough through wins over Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta. Then, in December 2018, Fury chose to gamble against WBC heavyweight champion Wilder, the division’s most destructive puncher in decades.
The “Gypsy King” climbed off the brink of defeat to earn a draw in their first fight, dismantled Wilder’s greatest asset in the rematch and stopped him, and then shared a dramatic, knockdown-laden trilogy bout that would hold its own in any era.
From a 6ft 6ins roaring American with dynamite in his right hand, Fury then moved on to the 6ft 3ins southpaw mastery of Oleksandr Usyk. The former undisputed cruiserweight champion brought his wizardry to heavyweight, beating Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and eventually Tyson Fury.
Fury’s bid to become the first undisputed heavyweight king since Lennox Lewis was halted by a masterclass from Usyk in May 2024 — a performance highlighted by a round-nine assault that came close to stopping the 6ft 9ins Brit.
Speaking to BoxNation months after the loss, Fury, 34-2-1 (24 KOs), was asked about Usyk’s punching power. And while he didn’t place the Ukrainian on Wilder’s level, he offered a measured assessment.
“He’s not like a feather duster puncher but he’s not like a Wilder puncher. Obviously, he’s got his knockouts but I wouldn’t say he’s the biggest puncher I’ve ever faced but I wouldn’t say he’s the lightest.”
Pilots’ Union Exclusive: Allegiant Air’s Attempt to Secure US Residency for Foreign Hires Blocked
Exclusive-Pilots’ union blocks Allegiant Air bid to get US residency for foreign hires
An Expensive Yet Stylish Electric Café Racer
There seems to be a weird trend popping up of late. Electric motorcycles packaged as café racers, bundled as more than just commuters – but rather a style statement, a fashion piece if you will. We’ve got another one of these, but to be honest, calling it a proper motorcycle would be a stretch.
Say hello to the Tromox M05, a café racer motorcycle by design, but realistically, it’s an ebike when you take a look at its specs. It comes from China, from a company that’s sort of earned quite a reputation for affordable electric two-wheelers loaded with tech.
Tromox dubs the M05 the “Electric Latte” as an ode to the café racer culture, and when you consider its design, I’d agree to most of it. A round claw-style LED headlight, a single-bench-type seat, and curved handlebars for a genuine Italian aesthetic. The thing looks beautiful!
Tromox
Powering the bike is a 3-kW brushless motor that’s built right into the rear wheel. It goes as fast as 43.5 mph (70 km/h) or 28 mph (45 km/h) for the L1e-B trim. Tromox says that this motor offers 92% energy efficiency in urban settings.
As for the battery, you get a swappable 2.3-kWh LFP battery pack (48 V/48 Ah), which powers the electric motor. It contains LMFP (lithium manganese iron phosphate) battery cells and something that the company calls Cube 2.0 Smart BMS, which provides 25 layers of protection.
The company says you’ll get around 50 miles (80 km) of range on a single charge – in ideal conditions. What’s great is that you can simply detach the battery and charge it at your home for convenience.
The electric bike has a maximum load capacity of 330 lb (150 kg), while weighing only 194 lb (88 kg), meaning it might be perfect for someone just starting out. Seat height is at 31.3 inches (795 mm), which is decent, and the ground clearance is at 9.8 inches (25 cm) – not bad.
Tromox
As for the hardware, the bike is based on a lightweight frame linked to a racing-grade, high-strength dual swingarm, an inverted fork with hydraulic damping, hydraulic disc brakes, and chain drive. Most importantly, the M05 looks ready to be introduced to European and global markets, thanks to a complete compliance with EU L1e/L3e standards.
Even in terms of technology, it’s quite impressive: ABS, E-TCS (Electronic Traction Control), and Millimeter Wave Blind Spot Assist (BSD) ensure maximum safety for you. So what is it about the thing that I don’t like?
You see, there are tons of class 3 e-motos on the market that do ~40+ miles with ~30 mph top speeds, and you’d find some of them for as low as around $2,000. The fact that the M05 is branded as a motorcycle and not an ebike looks like a desperate attempt at going for a bigger market.
Tromox
Introduced at €3,000 (which converts to about US$3,500), had it been just a tad bit better-priced and marketed as a proper ebike, I reckon it would have pulled more eyeballs.
But that’s not to say that it’s a dud. It sure looks cool and is still relatively more affordable than most entry-level ICE motorcycles. And maybe, just maybe, that might be enough for Tromox.
Source: Tromox
Fresh clashes erupt between Pakistan and Afghanistan
Border clashes have erupted again between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban forces, with each sides accusing the other of breaking a fragile ceasefire.
Residents fled the Afghan city of Spin Boldak overnight, which lies along the 1,600-mile (2,600 km) border between the two countries.
A medical worker in the nearby city of Kandahar told BBC Pashto that four bodies had been brought to a local hospital. Four other people were wounded. Three were reportedly wounded in Pakistan.
There has been sporadic fighting between the two countries in recent months, while Afghanistan’s Taliban government has also accused Pakistan of carrying out air strikes inside the country.
Both sides have confirmed they exchanged fire overnight but each blamed the other for initiating the four hours of fighting.
Mosharraf Zaidi, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accused the Taliban of “unprovoked firing”.
The statement continued: “An immediate, befitting & intense response has been given by our armed forces. Pakistan remains fully alert & committed to ensuring its territorial integrity & the safety our citizens.”
Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesperson said Pakistan had “once again initiated attacks” and said it was “forced to respond”.
Residents on the Afghan side of the border said the exchange of fire started at around 22:30 (18:00 GMT) on Friday.
Footage from the area showed a large number of Afghans fleeing on foot and in vehicles.
Ali Mohammed Haqmal, head of Kandahar’s information department, said Pakistan’s forces had attacked with “light and heavy artillery” and civilian homes had been hit by mortar fire.
The latest clashes came less than two months after both sides agreed to a ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkey.
It ended more than a week of fighting in which dozens were killed – the worst clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban since the group returned to power in 2021 – though tensions have remained high.
The government in Islamabad has long accused Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban of giving shelter to armed groups which carry out attacks in Pakistan.
The Taliban government denies the accusation and has accused Pakistan of blaming others for their “own security failures”.
The Pakistan Taliban have carried out at least 600 attacks on Pakistani forces over the past year, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
Last week delegations from both sides met in Saudi Arabia for a fourth round of negotiations on a wider peace settlement, but did not reach an agreement.
Sources familiar with the talks told BBC News that both sides had agreed to continue with the ceasefire.
During Black Friday and Cyber Monday, U.S. consumers have been under such pressure that they spent over $1 billion on BNPL services.
Financially strained and cautious customers leaned heavily on buy now, pay later (BNPL) services over the holiday weekend.
Cyber Monday alone generated $1.03 billion (a 4.2% increase YoY) in online BNPL sales with most transactions happening on mobile devices, per Adobe Analytics. Overall, consumers spent $14.25 billion online on Cyber Monday. To put that into perspective, BNPL made up for more than 7.2% of total online sales on that day.
As for Black Friday, eMarketer reported $747.5 million in online sales using BNPL services with platforms like PayPal finding a 23% uptick in BNPL transactions.
Likewise, digital financial services company Zip reported 1.6 million transactions throughout 280,000 of its locations over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. Millennials (51%) accounted for a chunk of the sizable BNPL purchases, followed by Gen Z, Gen X, and baby boomers, per Zip.
The Adobe data showed that people using BNPL were most likely to spend on categories such as electronics, apparel, toys, and furniture, which is consistent with previous years. This trend also tracks with Zip’s findings that shoppers were primarily investing in tech, electronics, and fashion when using its services.
And while some may be surprised that shoppers are taking on more debt via BNPL (in this economy?!), analysts had already projected a strong shopping weekend. A Deloitte survey forecast that consumers would spend about $650 million over the Black Friday–Cyber Monday stretch—a 15% jump from 2023.
“US retailers leaned heavily on discounts this holiday season to drive online demand,” Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said in a statement. “Competitive and persistent deals throughout Cyber Week pushed consumers to shop earlier, creating an environment where Black Friday now challenges the dominance of Cyber Monday.”
This report was originally published by Retail Brew.
IAEA raises concerns about damage to Chornobyl nuclear plant’s protective shield in Ukraine amid Russia-Ukraine war
The IAEA has found a drone degraded the shield in February, in a strike Ukraine has accused Russia of carrying out.
Published On 6 Dec 2025
A drone strike has damaged a protective shield at the Chornobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine, rendering it unable to contain the radioactive material from the 1986 explosion of the plant, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Friday that the shield can no longer perform its main safety function, following an inspection of the steel structure last week.
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The agency found the drone impact had degraded the shield in February, in a strike Ukraine has accused Russia of carrying out, with the two countries’ ongoing conflict now in its fourth year.
Throughout the war, Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of blocking the rotation of staff from the IAEA at the Zaporizhzhia facility and of risking a potentially devastating nuclear disaster by attacking the site.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement that the inspection “mission confirmed that the [protective structure] had lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability, but also found that there was no permanent damage to its load-bearing structures or monitoring systems”.
Grossi said repairs had already been carried out “but comprehensive restoration remains essential to prevent further degradation and ensure long-term nuclear safety”.
The UN reported on February 14 that Ukrainian authorities said a drone with a high-explosive warhead struck the plant, caused a fire and damaged the protective cladding around reactor number four, which was destroyed in the 1986 Chornobyl explosion.
Ukrainian authorities said the drone was Russian; however, Moscow denied it had attacked the plant.
Radiation levels remained normal and stable, and there had been no reports of radiation leaks, the UN said in February.
The 1986 Chornobyl explosion sent radiation across Europe and prompted Soviet Union authorities to mobilise vast numbers of men and equipment to deal with the accident. The plant’s last working reactor was closed in 2000.
Russia occupied the plant and the surrounding area for more than a month in the first weeks of its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine as its forces initially tried to advance on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
The IAEA had conducted the inspection at the same time as a country-wide survey of damage to electricity substations by the nearly four-year war between Ukraine and Russia.
Energy sites in Ukraine attacked
Russian drone and missile attacks hit energy infrastructure in eight Ukrainian regions overnight, causing blackouts, according to Ukraine’s Energy Ministry.
“Emergency repair work is already underway where safety conditions permit. Energy companies are doing everything possible to restore power to all customers as quickly as possible,” the ministry said on Saturday in a post on Telegram.
On Friday, Ukraine’s national grid operator, Ukrenergo, announced that electricity restrictions would be in place nationwide from Saturday due to Russian attacks on energy facilities.
The attacks occur as the United States has been meeting with officials of both countries, in an effort to usher in a long-awaited ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has been holding talks with Ukraine’s senior negotiator Rustem Umerov in Miami, Florida, after Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this week.
Last month, the US revealed a 28-point proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, seen by many as more favourable to Russia’s maximalist demands and war narrative.
The demands for Ukraine to cede territory are red lines for Kyiv and forbidden in the nation’s constitution.
Two artists claim AI act Breaking Rust plagiarized their work, and more may follow suit.
Breaking Rust, an AI-generated ‘Outlaw country’ act, scored a semi-hit in the US last month with Walk My Walk – a track that’s been streamed over 7 million times on Spotify and topped Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart.
But earlier this week, Walk My Walk briefly disappeared from Spotify following an impersonation claim.
A Spotify representative has confirmed to MBW that the track was temporarily removed but has since been reinstated. MBW has discovered that the claim was likely filed by independent country artist Bryan Elijah Smith, who accuses Breaking Rust of stealing elements of his music, style, and image.
Smith isn’t the only one crying foul. Grammy-nominated rapper Blanco Brown says Breaking Rust’s track rips off his vocal style – and an Associated Press investigation has drawn a line between Walk My Walk‘s credited songwriter and a former Brown collaborator.
Here are three things you need to know about the ballooning Breaking Rust saga – and how it fits into a bigger story about AI music fakery…
1. An independent artist says Breaking Rust has been “stealing elements of my music, my style and even my image”
Bryan Elijah Smith is a real-life artist who writes, records, and produces his own music. He says he plays nine instruments and has been building his career independently for 17 years.
MBW actually referenced Smith back in June in a report on AI artists, noting that he appeared under the ‘Fans Also Like…’ section on Spotify for AI-generated Outlaw country artist Aventhis.
In an email to MBW this week, Smith accused Breaking Rust and other AI acts, including Aventhis, of “stealing elements of my music, my style, and even my image.”
He claimed: “They have been copying niche genre descriptions, branding language, and visual identity I have built over the last seventeen years. These acts are presenting themselves as original creators when the songs are fully generated by Suno AI in seconds.”
Smith says he filed a rights claim against Walk My Walk with Spotify, which he believes led to the track’s removal earlier this week.
According to Spotify’s FAQs, artists can submit an impersonation claim if they “believe someone is impersonating [their] voice on Spotify without [their] authorization”.
Spotify says it “review[s] every submission and will take action as appropriate, including removing the content from Spotify if it violates this policy.”
“I am pursuing the removal of these accounts entirely, because this issue is bigger than just me.”
Bryan Elijah-Smith
MBW understands that tracks can be reinstated on Spotify following an appeal by the artist or rightsholder, or after an internal review.
Smith claims that AI-generated acts like Breaking Rust are “deceiving the public and using my likeness and artistic identity to generate streams that cut into the same limited revenue pool independent musicians and songwriters rely on to survive.”
He adds: “I am pursuing the removal of these accounts entirely, because this issue is bigger than just me.
“Every independent artist is at risk when anonymous creators can use AI to imitate real artists, hijack algorithms with a flood of releases and climb charts without transparency or accountability.”
2. Blanco Brown also says Walk My Walk ripped off his sound – and he’s fighting back
Separately, the Associated Press reports that Walk My Walk has been accused of mimicking the sound of Grammy-nominated US artist Blanco Brown.
Brown, whose 2019 hit The Git Up peaked at No.14 on the Hot 100, told the AP he “didn’t even know about the song until people hit me up about it”.
“My phone just kept blowing up,” Brown said. “Somebody said: ‘Man, somebody done typed your name in the AI and made a white version of you. They just used the Blanco, not the Brown.’”
Brown has responded to the situation by recording a cover version of Walk My Walk.
His manager, Ryan McMahan, Co-Founder at Oath Management, said in a statement on LinkedIn: “Blanco Brown just made history as the first major artist to cover an AI-generated song. He showed the world exactly what happens when real soul, real craft, and real art stand next to something built by AI. There is no comparison.”
McMahan says the cover was “a calculated move with purpose behind it,” adding: “Blanco and I built this plan together. We talked about what AI means for music, legal, the industry, what it means for the next decade, and how this moment could shift the entire conversation. This was not about chasing attention. It was about drawing a clear line between something generated and someone who has fought, survived, grown, and turned life into art.”
“AI CAN RUN A FORMULA. IT CANNOT RECREATE BLANCO’S LIFE EXPERIENCE THAT HE PULLS FROM. IT CANNOT RECREATE THE HUMANITY, THE CONVICTION, OR THE LIFETIME OF EMOTIONS THAT SHAPED HIS ARTISTIC VOICE.”
RYAN MCMAHAN, OATH MANAGEMENT
McMahan added: “This moment gives hope to artists who excel and take the craft seriously. Today everyone calls themselves an artist, but very few earn that title. Blanco’s move proves that real artistry still rises above noise, trends, and algorithms.”
Brown has also released a reworked derivative of the track with new lyrics and a new arrangement.
“If someone is going to sing like me, it should be me,” Brown said.
The AP’s Jonathan Landrum Jr. notes that the situation is both “a legal and cultural issue” for Brown, who “spent years navigating country music as a Black artist who blends gospel, hip-hop, pop and twang” but has struggled to get consistent traction on country radio despite his Grammy nomination.
3. The credited songwriter on Walk My Walk appears connected to a former Blanco Brown collaborator
All 10 tracks on Breaking Rust’s Spotify page, including Walk My Walk, list an individual named Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor as their songwriter.
The AP notes that Taylor is also credited as the songwriter behind Defbeatsai, an ‘X-rated’ AI-generated country act that went viral on social media last year.
Significantly, the AP’s investigation draws a line between Defbeatsai and a former Blanco Brown collaborator named Abraham Abushmais, whom Brown apparently nicknamed “Abe Einstein” due to his studio abilities.
Abushmais has co-writing credits on Brown’s 2019 album Honeysuckle & Lightning Bugs.
The AP suggests that Abushmais is identified as the developer of an AI music generation app called Echo, promoted via a Defbeats.ai Instagram page urging visitors to “make your own hit country song.”
Brown told the AP that nobody informed him about any connection between his former collaborator and the AI track that mimics his style. He added that Abushmais has become impossible to reach.
“Abe’s number changed,” Brown said. “We used to talk. I ain’t heard from him in a year or two.”
The AP reports that Abushmais did not respond to its request for comment.
The bigger picture: Breaking Rust isn’t an isolated case – and that’s where things get complicated
The Breaking Rust saga is part of a growing pattern of real artists accusing AI-generated tracks of ripping off their work, voice, or image.
In late November, FAMM – the independent label of British singer Jorja Smith – alleged that the viral dance track I Run was created using AI trained on Smith’s music.
The track, credited to producer Haven (Harrison Walker), had been on course to chart in both the UK and US before being removed from streaming services following takedown notices.
FAMM alleged that Walker “used AI to make his voice sound like Jorja’s and had used Jorja’s name (without permission) suggesting to the public that it was actually Jorja singing.”
The label is pursuing compensation, and has called for mandatory labelling of AI-generated content.
Separately, Grammy-winning singer Victoria Monét recently spoke to Vanity Fair about Xania Monét, an AI-generated artist signed to Hallwood Media whose name bears a striking resemblance to her own. Monét acknowledged she couldn’t definitively say the AI was trained on her music, but noted the resemblance felt “uncanny.”
“It’s hard to comprehend that, within a prompt, my name was not used for this artist to capitalise on,” Monét said. “I don’t support that. I don’t think that’s fair.”
What’s notable about Breaking Rust is that two separate artists – Bryan Elijah Smith and Blanco Brown – both believe the same AI act has directly ripped off their work. One claims vocal mimicry; the other claims visual identity, branding language, and more.
This points to a looming challenge for the music industry: AI-generated music may trigger simultaneous claims from multiple artists, all of whom may struggle to definitively prove they were the training source, despite legitimate grievances.
As FAMM put it in its statement on the I Run dispute: “We are in uncharted territory. AI is all around us and already impacting the way we consume music. We need to talk about what that means for creatives.”
Music Business Worldwide
US Supreme Court to Review Case Questioning Birthright Citizenship
The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on whether some children born in the US have a constitutional right to citizenship.
On his first day in office in January, President Donald Trump signed an order to end birthright citizenship for those born to parents who are in the country illegally, but the move was blocked by multiple lower courts.
No date has been set yet for the Supreme Court arguments, and a ruling is months away.
Whatever the court decides could have major implications for Trump’s immigration crackdown and for what it means to be an American citizen.
For nearly 160 years, the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution has established the principle that anyone born in the country is a US citizen, with exceptions for children born to diplomats and foreign military forces.
The language of the amendment states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”
Trump’s executive order seeks to deny citizenship to the children of people who are either in the US illegally or are in the country on temporary visas. It is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to reform the nation’s immigration system and combat what they have called “significant threats to national security and public safety”.
The administration has argued the 14th Amendment clause “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” means the amendment excludes children of people who are not in the country permanently or lawfully.
Cecillia Wang, national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing the plaintiffs in the case, told the BBC’s news partner CBS that no president can change the 14th Amendment’s fundamental promise of citizenship.
“For over 150 years, it has been the law and our national tradition that everyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen from birth,” Ms Wang said in a statement.
“We look forward to putting this issue to rest once and for all in the Supreme Court this term,” she added.
The US is one of about 30 countries – mostly in the Americas – that grant automatic citizenship to anyone born within their borders.
After legal challenges were brought to Trump’s executive order, several federal court judges ruled that it violated the Constitution, while two federal circuit courts of appeals upheld injunctions blocking the order from going into effect.
Trump then went to the Supreme Court to fight the injunctions. In a win for Trump, the court ruled in June that the injunctions issued by the lower courts exceeded their authority, though it did not address the issue of birthright citizenship itself.
The 14th Amendment was passed in the wake of the US Civil War in order to settle the question of the citizenship of freed, American-born former slaves.
US Solicitor General D John Sauer has argued that the amendment was adopted “to confer citizenship on the newly freed slaves and their children, not on the children of aliens temporarily visiting the United States or of illegal aliens”.
He has said it’s a “mistaken view” that birth on US soil confers citizenship and has argued that that understanding has had “destructive consequences”
About 250,000 babies were born to unauthorised immigrant parents in the US in 2016 – a 36% decrease from a peak in 2007, according to The Pew Research Center.
By 2022, the latest year that data is available, there were 1.2 million US citizens born to unauthorised immigrant parents, Pew found.
A study published in May by the thinktank Migration Policy Institute and Pennsylvania State University’s Population Research Institute suggested that repealing birthright citizenship could increase the size of the unauthorized population in the US by an additional 2.7 million by 2045 and by 5.4 million by 2075.