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Survivors express caution and doubt over partial release of Epstein file
The release of thousands of pages of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse by the US department of justice (DOJ) has left some who were anxiously awaiting the files disappointed.
By law, the DOJ had to make all materials public by the end of Friday. But only some have been released, many with numerous redactions.
The lawmakers who pushed for these documents to see the light of day have described the DOJ’s efforts as insincere, and some legal experts say that the redactions may only fuel ongoing conspiracy theories.
“We just want all of the evidence of these crimes out there,” Epstein survivor Liz Stein told the BBC.
Ms Stein told Radio 4’s Today programme that she thought the justice department was “really brazenly going against the Epstein Files Transparency Act” – the law that requires all the documents to be released.
Survivors are really worried about the possibility of a “slow roll-out of incomplete information without any context”, she noted.
Marina Lacerda, who was 14 when she was abused by Epstein, also told the BBC some of the survivors were “still nervous and sceptical about how they are going to release the rest of the files”.
“We are very worried that it will still be redacted in the same way that it was today.
“We are a little disappointed that they’re now still lingering on and distracting us with other things.”
US Department of JusticeAmong the latest released information is a photo of Epstein now jailed confidante Ghislaine Maxwell outside Downing Street – the UK prime minister’s office and residence – a document that claims Epstein introduced a 14-year-old girl to US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and multiple images of former President Bill Clinton.
Other released photos show the interiors of Epstein’s homes, his overseas travels, as well as celebrities, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Peter Mandelson – former UK Labour Party politician and ambassador to the US.
Being named or pictured in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing. Many of those identified in the files or in previous releases related to Epstein have denied any wrongdoing.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and has not been accused of any crimes by Epstein’s victims. Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein’s abuse, and has denied knowledge of his sex offending.
At least 15 of the released files were no longer available on the DOJ website on Saturday.
One of the missing files showed a mass of framed photos on a desk, according to CBS, the BBC’s media partner in the US. The photos showed Bill Clinton, and another was of the Pope. In an open drawer, there was a photo of Trump, Epstein, and Maxwell.
Other missing files included photos of a room with what appeared to be a massage table and nude photos and nude paintings.
It was not clear why the files were no longer available.
In a post on X on Saturday night, the DOJ wrote: “Photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information.”
The BBC has asked the DOJ for comment.
Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Friday – the day the materials were released – that the department had identified more than 1,200 Epstein victims or their relatives, and withheld material that could identify them.
But many of the documents are also heavily redacted.
The DOJ said it would comply with the congressional request to release documents, with some stipulations.
It redacted personally identifiable information about Epstein’s victims, materials depicting child sexual abuse, materials depicting physical abuse, any records that “would jeopardise an active federal investigation” or any classified documents that must stay secret to protect “national defence or foreign policy”.
The DOJ said it was “not redacting the names of any politicians”, and added a quote they attributed to Blanche, saying: “The only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law – full stop.
“Consistent with the statute and applicable laws, we are not redacting the names of individuals or politicians unless they are a victim.”
John Day, a criminal defence attorney, told the BBC he was surprised by the amount of information that was redacted.
“This is just going to feed the fire if you are a conspiracy theorist,” he said. “I don’t think anyone anticipated there would be this many redactions. It certainly raises questions about how faithfully the DOJ is following the law.”
Mr Day also noted that the justice department is required to provide a log of what was being redacted to Congress within 15 days of the files’ release.
“Until you know what’s being redacted you don’t know what’s being withheld,” he said.
In a letter to the judges overseeing the Epstein and Maxwell cases, US attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton, said: “Victim privacy interests counsel in favour of redacting the faces of women in photographs with Epstein even where not all the women are known to be victims because it is not practicable for the department to identify every person in a photo.”
Clayton added that “this approach to photographs could be viewed by some as an over-redaction” – but that “the department believes it should, in the compressed time frame, err on the side of redacting to protect victims.”
ReutersBaroness Helena Kennedy, a human rights lawyer and Labour peer in the House of Lords in the UK, said she was told the redactions in the documents were there to protect the victims.
“Authorities always have a worry” about “exposing people to yet further denigration in the public mind”, she told the BBC’s Today programme.
Many Epstein survivors seem “very keen” to have the material exposed, she said, but added that they “might not be so keen if they knew exactly what was in there”.
Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna, who led the charge along with Republican Congressman Thomas Massie to release the files, said the release was “incomplete” and added that he is looking at options like impeachment, contempt or referral to prosecution.
“Our law requires them to explain redactions,” Khanna said. “There is not a single explanation.”
Massie seconded Khanna’s statement and posted on social media that Attorney General Pam Bondi and other justice department officials could be prosecuted by future justice departments for not complying with the document requirements.
He said the document release “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law” of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
After the release, the White House called the Trump Administration the most “transparent in history”, adding that it has “done more for the victims than Democrats ever have”.
Blanche was asked in an interview with ABC News whether all documents mentioning Trump in the so-called Epstein files will be released in the coming weeks.
“Assuming it’s consistent with the law, yes,” Blanche said. “So there’s no effort to hold anything back because there’s the name Donald J Trump or anybody else’s name, Bill Clinton’s name, Reid Hoffman’s name.
“There’s no effort to hold back or not hold back because of that.
“We’re not redacting the names of famous men and women that are associated with Epstein.”
Additional reporting by Jaroslav Lukiv
Georgia regulators approve 50% increase in power capacity, anticipating growth in AI data center demand
Georgia’s only private electric utility plans to increase power capacity by 50% after state regulators on Friday agreed 5-0 that the plan is needed to meet projected demand from data centers.
It would be one of the biggest build-outs in the U.S. to meet the insatiable electricity demand from developers of artificial intelligence. The construction cost would be $16.3 billion, but staff members say customers will pay $50 billion to $60 billion over coming decades, including interest costs and guaranteed profit for the monopoly utility.
Georgia Power Co. and the Public Service Commission pledge large users will more than pay for their costs, and that spreading fixed costs over more customers, could help significantly cut residents’ power bills beginning in 2029.
“Large energy users are paying more so families and small businesses can pay less, and that’s a great result for Georgians,” Georgia Power CEO Kim Greene said in a statement after the vote.
But opponents say the five elected Republicans on the commission are greenlighting a risky bet by the utility to chase data center customers with existing ratepayers left holding the bag if demand doesn’t materialize.
“The need for 10,000 megawatts of new capacity resources on the system in the next six years isn’t here,” said Bob Sherrier, a lawyer representing some opponents. “It just isn’t, and it may never be.”
The approval came less than two months after voters rebuked GOP leadership, ousting two incumbent Republicans on the commission in favor of Democrats by overwhelming margins. Those two Democrats won in campaigns that centered on six Georgia Power rate increases commissioners have allowed in recent years, even though the company agreed to a three-year rate freeze in July.
Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson — the Democrats who will take office Jan. 1 — opposed Friday’s vote. But current commissioners refused to delay.
Electric bills have emerged as a potent political issue in Georgia and nationwide, with grassroots opposition to data centers partly based on fears that other customers will subsidize power demands of technology behemoths.
Georgia Power is the largest unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co. It says it needs 10,000 megawatts of new capacity — enough to power 4 million Georgia homes — with 80% of that flowing to data centers. The company has 2.7 million customers today, including homes, businesses and industries.
Whether the company’s projections of a huge increase in demand will pan out has been the central argument. Georgia Power and commission staff agreed Dec. 9 to allow the company to build or acquire all the desired capacity, despite staff earlier saying the company’s forecast included too much speculative construction.
In return, the company agreed that after the current rate freeze ends in 2028, it would use revenue from new customers to place “downward pressure” on rates through 2031. That would amount to at least $8.50 a month, or $102 a year, for a typical residential customer. That customer currently pays more than $175 a month, including taxes.
“So we’re taking advantage of the upsides from this additional revenue, but allow it to shift the downside and the risk over to the company. And I’m real proud of that,” Commission Chairman Jason Shaw said after the vote.
But “downward pressure” doesn’t guarantee a rate decrease.
“It doesn’t mean your bills are going down,” said Liz Coyle, executive director of consumer group Georgia Watch. “It means that maybe they’re not going up as fast.”
Existing customers would pay for part of the construction program that doesn’t serve data centers. More importantly, opponents fear Georgia Power’s pledge of rate relief can’t be enforced, or won’t hold up over the 40-plus years needed to pay off new natural-gas fired power plants.
In a Monday news conference, Hubbard likened it to a mortgage “to build a massive addition to your home for a new roommate, big tech.”
“If in 10 years, the AI bubble bursts or the data centers move to a cheaper state, then the roommate moves out, but the mortgage doesn’t go away,” he said.
Staff members say the commission must watch demand closely and that if data centers don’t use as much power as projected, Georgia Power must drop agreements to purchase wholesale power, close its least efficient generating plants and seek additional customers.
Many opponents oppose any new generation fueled by natural gas, warning carbon emissions will worsen climate change. Some opponents were escorted out of the commission meeting by police after they began chanting “Nay! Nay! Nay! The people say nay!”
“Increased natural gas output for the sake of these silicon billionaire kings seems like a lose-lose,” opponent Zak Norton told commissioners Friday.
Shooting at South Africa tavern leaves at least nine people dead | Gun Violence Update
BREAKINGBREAKING,
South African police say a manhunt is under way after a mass shooting killed at least nine people and injured 10.
Published On 21 Dec 2025
Armed men have opened fire at a tavern in a township near the city of Johannesburg in South Africa, killing at least nine people and wounding 10, according to the police.
In a statement on Sunday, the police said a manhunt is under way for those involved in the shooting, which took place in the Bekkersdal township just before 1am local time (23:00 GMT on Saturday).
“It is reported that about 12 unknown suspects in a white kombi and a silver sedan opened fire at tavern patrons and continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene,” the police said in a statement.
“The tavern is licensed,” it added.
The South African public broadcaster SABC reported that the unknown attackers opened fire on patrons of the tavern and people in the streets outside.
“We are still busy obtaining statements. Our national crime and management team has arrived,” SABC reported, quoting Fred Kekana, acting police commissioner of Gauteng.
“The provincial crime scene management team has arrived, and a team from the local criminal record centre is here, so is our serious crime investigating team, crime intelligence and the provincial crime detective team is on scene,” he added.
A motive for the attack was not immediately clear.
Some media reports put the death toll at 10.
“Ten people are dead. We don’t have a breakdown of who they are,” Brigadier Brenda Muridili, police spokesperson for Gauteng province, told the AFP news agency.
Authorities said the wounded were taken to hospital.
More soon…
UMG and Splice collaborate to develop cutting-edge AI music creation tools
Universal Music Group is teaming up with music creation platform Splice on what they call the “joint exploration of the next generation of AI-powered music creation tools for musical artists”.
UMG and Splice said in a press release that they’re “building a roadmap for development of commercial AI tools rooted in creative control and sonic excellence”.
The release said that the “artist-centric agreement” builds on Splice’s suite of AI-enabled creator tools, which continue to respect intellectual property, and combine high-quality creative ingredients”.
The statement also noted that the partnership will explore AI-powered virtual instruments and tools that enable UMG artists to “bring their own sounds into Splice’s AI workflows.”
UMG said that its artists are “expected to play a crucial role in guiding the product development process” for AI-powered virtual instruments at Splice.
Splice recently launched a virtual instruments platform that offers access to over 1,200 playable presets at launch.
The launch of Spice INSTRUMENT builds on the company’s reported $50 million acquisition of UK-based “high-end” virtual instrument library Spitfire Audio in April.
Splice was valued at a reported $500 million in 2021, following a $55 million investment round led by Goldman Sachs.
“We look forward to partnering with Kakul Srivastava and her team on this critically important strategic technology front.”
Michael Nash, UMG
Michael Nash, EVP & Chief Digital Officer, Universal Music Group, said: “We’re excited to form this alliance with Splice to promote the alignment of innovation and ethicality in addressing the interests of the creative community to leverage cutting-edge AI-enabled tools to further their artistic expression.
“We look forward to partnering with Kakul Srivastava and her team on this critically important strategic technology front.”
“We’ve spent time building AI tools designed to fairly compensate creators and keep them in control.”
Kakul Srivastava, Splice
Kakul Srivastava, CEO of Splice, added: “We’ve spent time building AI tools designed to fairly compensate creators and keep them in control.
“We’re thankful for Universal’s continued support, and excited to work together to put these commercial tools in the hands of artists everywhere, knowing they can trust the end result.”
In June of 2024, Splice joined UMG and other industry figures as a signatory to the “Principles for Music Creation with AI,” a series of clarifying statements relating to the responsible use of AI in music creation, advocating for ethical, transparent AI that empowers human creators rather than replacing them.Music Business Worldwide
Seven elephants killed by India express train while crossing tracks
Seven wild Asian elephants, including calves, were killed when a high-speed train collided with a herd crossing the tracks in north-eastern India, local officials say.
They say another calf was injured in the incident early on Saturday in Hojai district, Assam state.
The Northeast Frontier Railway says the train driver spotted dozens of elephants and used the emergency brakes – but some animals were still hit.
Five carriages derailed after the collision, but no injuries were reported among passengers and staff on the Delhi-bound express. Train cancellations and diversions were reported in the area during the day.
The killed elephants were later examined by veterinarians and buried.
Assam has one of the biggest elephant populations in India, with nearly 6,000 animals recorded in the state.
Local railway tracks are often crossed by elephant herds – but Saturday’s incident happened at a location that was not a designated elephant corridor, the Northeast Frontier Railway says.
Carmelo stands by foul call in Rockets-Nuggets Game
Former NBA star Carmelo Anthony weighed in on a contentious officiating decision that played a key role in the Denver Nuggets’ 128–125 overtime win over the Houston Rockets on Monday night. Anthony justified a call in the final seconds of regulation that helped send the game into overtime, arguing that the contact was sufficient to warrant the foul.
The Rockets led late when center Alperen Şengün scored with just over two seconds remaining. However, a foul was called on Rockets guard Amen Thompson as Tim Hardaway Jr. attempted a shot. Many fans and analysts debated that call, feeling contact was incidental. Yet Anthony stood by the officiating crew’s decision. He said cameras would show that Thompson clipped Hardaway, making the foul legitimate.
Anthony delivered his thoughts during broadcast coverage alongside Derek Fisher. Fisher agreed that the contact met the standard for a foul in a tightly contested matchup, noting that in a close, physical game, officials must call touch when they see it.
A Back-and-Forth Battle
The game itself featured intense swings and high drama. Both teams traded momentum throughout regulation. The Rockets shot well from deep and fought through multiple Nuggets runs, while turnovers and rebounding battled back and forth. The contest felt like a postseason affair in December, with each squad calculating every offensive opportunity and defensive rotation with precision.
Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray paced Denver’s attack, with Jokić finishing in a triple-double performance. Meanwhile, Houston received a historic triple-double from Şengün. Both big men dominated, trading buckets late in the fourth quarter and keeping the game competitive through regulation.
Overtime and Aftermath
After the controversial call tied the game, motivation carried the Nuggets into overtime. Denver outpaced Houston in the extra period and secured the win. Though Rockets coach Ime Udoka openly criticized officiating after the result, labeling some calls inconsistent, Anthony’s stance offered a contrasting view. He framed the crucial call as one that fit how officials saw the play in real time and felt it affected the game fairly.
This incident has reignited discussions about officiating consistency in the NBA. Fans continue to debate whether the final whistle influenced the outcome. However, Anthony’s high-profile defense of the decision reinforces how former players can shape public perception of controversial moments. Whether viewers agree or not, his perspective adds another layer to the conversation around how high-stakes games are officiated and how split-second calls can impact results.
Mitsubishi Revamps the Delica Minivan, a Beloved Camper Classic
Mitsubishi teased an update of its legendary, small, rugged Delica van a couple months back at the Tokyo Motor Show. Looking at the prototype it showed there, we wouldn’t have pegged it as “the strongest ever,” but that’s how Mitsubishi announced it during the official production introduction this week.
Turns out, the new SUV-meets-minivan gains some extra on- and off-road performance to match its revised looks. Might it supplant its classic predecessors as the ultimate in cult classic tiny 4×4 adventure camper vans? Unlikely, but it’s already put some serious time in off-roading to prove what it’s all about.
Much like modern Westfalia pop-up Volkswagen camper vans, the Mitsubishi Delica D:5 inundates Americans like myself with nostalgia for simpler, happier times. Mitsubishi only sold the adorable little Delica, rebadged simply “Van” and “Wagon,” in the US for a few too-quick years in the late 80s and early 90s, but it’s the type of small, adventurous, accidentally stylish rig that cast a shadow much larger than its market footprint.
To be fair, much of that nostalgia is actually anemoia because the most fondly remembered, covetable Delicas – the likes of the Star Wagon 4WD, Space Gear and Chamonix – weren’t even sold here. In fact, we probably know them best from much more recent times, seeing them drive and adventure around the States after reaching the 25-year legal threshold for importation. They have developed quite a cult following among van lifers, overlanders and avid outdoor adventurers and road warriors of other stripes – not only in the US, but in markets like the UK and Australia, as well.
To be honest, the Delica is itching for a complete generational overhaul, which last happened way back in 2007. But before Mitsubishi takes on that task – perhaps by readying a production-polished version of the 2023 D:X Concept – it has seen fit to give the Gen D:5 a cosmetic and equipment update.
Mitsubishi
As we saw with the Tokyo prototype preview back in October, the Delica D:5 refresh gains a more layered facial design to replace the overly slatted front-end of the previous D:5 styling package. The new slats are more neatly contained within the central rectangular grille, transformed visually via alternating shades into a series of dashes.
Below the grille, a new block-toothed bumper design serves as a rugged foundation, and up above, the narrow headlamps get connected by silver trim. The lamp stacks out to the far sides appear much the same as before, albeit with rectangles replacing the angled polygons at the lowest level.
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi complements that front-end with some similar changes in back, adding a matching rear bumper design along with broad “DELICA” badging centered across the tailgate. In between, slightly bulged wheel arch moldings contrast the body color and highlight Delica’s longstanding 4WD off-road capabilities, originally derived from the Pajero, a historic Dakar dominator.
Speaking of those 4×4 capabilities, dyed-in-wool off-roaders might miss the familiar, straightforward 2WD/4WD/4WD Lock of the outgoing D:5, but Mitsubishi promises that the individual wheel control of the newly added Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) system will more than make up for it. The system uses four driver-selectable modes – Eco, Normal, Gravel, Snow – along with supportive technologies like traction control and brake-activated yaw control, for better grip, stability and response tuned to the terrain under tread. A hill descent control system ensures stable, steady downhilling at fixed speeds.
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi assures that it put the updated prototypes through limit-pushing testing on some gnarly (and downright gorgeous) off-road terrain to ensure they could handle it with aplomb.
Back on the asphalt, the Delica benefits from an enhanced collision mitigation braking system that now detects bicycles. A sonar-based parking sensor system helps drivers avoid hitting nearby vehicles and obstacles, while an upgraded camera suite improves imaging scope and quality.
The new Delica D:5 will officially go on sale in Japan on January 9, 2026 for a base price of ¥4,510,000 (approx. US$28,600). Four-wheel drive comes standard across all trims, and power flows from a 2.2-liter turbo-diesel four. The little van packs ’em in better than its diminutive size might suggest, offering seven- and eight-seat layouts.
Okay, it’s not nearly as effortlessly lovable as the older 3rd and 4th-gen Delicas that flow into the US each year among the pack of coveted Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) vehicles, but it still looks like an ideal foundation for one hell of a little camper van or trail shuttle. Now, let’s just fast-forward through the next 25 years …
Source: Mitsubishi
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Russia-Ukraine war: Recap of major events on day 1,396 | Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine conflict
Here is where things stand on Sunday, December 21:
Fighting
- The death toll from a Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s port city of Odesa rose from seven to eight, with at least 30 others wounded, according to Ukrainian authorities.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in Odesa as “harsh” and accused Russia of trying to block Kyiv’s access to the Black Sea.
- The Ukrainian leader also said that he is looking to replace the head of the Southern Air Command, Dmytro Karpenko, over the Russian strikes on Odesa.
- Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said Russian forces also attacked the nearby port of Pivdennyi on Saturday, hitting several reservoirs.
- Ukraine’s military said its special forces carried out a drone attack on a Lukoil oil rig in the Caspian Sea on Friday, along with the Russian military patrol ship Okhotnik. The military also said that the Filanovsky oil rig, which had been targeted twice this month, was damaged in the strike.
- Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces took control of the villages of Svitle and Vysoke, located in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and the northeastern Luhansk region, respectively.
Diplomacy and ceasefire talks
- Zelenskyy said the United States proposed a new format for talks with Russia, comprised of three-way talks at the level of national security advisers from Ukraine, Russia, and the US.
- The Ukrainian leader expressed scepticism that the talks would result in “anything new”, but added that he believes that US-led talks have the best chance of success.
- He added that he would support trilateral discussions if they led to progress in areas such as prisoner swaps or a meeting of national leaders. “If such a meeting could be held now to allow for swaps of prisoners of war, or if a meeting of national security advisers achieves agreement on a leaders’ meeting… I cannot be opposed. We would support such a US proposal. Let’s see how things go,” he said.
- Zelenskyy also pushed back against calls for Ukraine to hold elections as the war drags on, stating that voting cannot take place in Russian-occupied areas and that security conditions must first improve. “It is not [Russian President Vladimir] Putin who decides when and in what format the elections in Ukraine will take place,” Zelenskyy said.
- Zelenskyy urged European leaders to approve a measure to seize frozen Russian assets and use them to fund Ukraine’s war effort, saying that doing so will strengthen Ukraine’s leverage at the negotiating table. The International Monetary Fund has estimated that Ukraine will need about 137 billion euros ($161bn) in 2026 and 2027, as the demands of the war continue to strain the country’s economy.
- Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev held talks with his US counterpart, Steve Witkoff, and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the city of Miami.
- “The discussions are proceeding constructively. They began earlier and will continue today, and will also continue tomorrow,” Dmitriev said
- Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov attended a summit in Cairo, held to advance closer cooperation between Russia and African nations, and attended by more than 50 countries. Lavrov pitched Russia as a “reliable partner” to African countries in areas such as security and national sovereignty.
Weapons
- Ukrainian presidential aide Oleksandr Kamyshin announced a deal with Portugal on the joint production of maritime drones, saying it would help “defend Europe from the sea”.