Syrian troops fighting Kurdish forces in north-eastern Syria have seized the country’s largest oilfield.
The Omar facility and nearby gas fields are under army control after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) pulled back, officials and monitors say. Earlier the army captured the strategic Tabqa dam on the Euphrates river.
The push came after the SDF announced it would redeploy east of the Euphrates, following deadly clashes last week. That withdrawal followed talks with US officials.
Ongoing fighting in the area stems from the breakdown of an agreement between SDF and the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is seeking to integrate Kurdish bodies into Syrian institutions.
On Friday, in an apparent good-will gesture, al-Sharaa said he would make Kurdish a national language and make the Kurdish new year an official holiday. The decree is the first formal recognition of Kurdish national rights since Syria’s independence in 1946.
Kurdish forces have been controlling swathes of Syria’s oil-rich north and north-east, much of it gained during the fight against the Islamic State group over the past decade.
Over the weekend, Syrian troops continued their eastward push. They entered the town of Tabqa on the south-western bank of the Euphrates and nearby dam on Saturday.
On Sunday, Syrian officials announced they had seized Omar, Syria’s largest oil field, on the eastern side of the river. The facility has been a major source of revenue for the SDF.
This claim was supported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group. It said the SDF had withdrawn from “entire villages and towns of the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor [province]” as well as the Omar and Tanak oil fields early on Sunday.
Meanwhile Syrian authorities accused the SDF of blowing up two bridges on the Euphrates River, including the new al-Rashid bridge in the city of Raqqa.
Last week at least 12 people were reported killed in clashes between the two sides in the northern city of Aleppo.
The latest fighting comes despite attempts by the US to broker a ceasefire. Washington has long backed the SDF, but it also supports the Syrian government.
Following the ousting of longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, President al-Sharaa has been seeking to integrate Kurdish military and civilian bodies into Syria’s national institutions.
In March 2025, the SDF signed a deal with the government to that effect. Almost a year on, the agreement is still not implemented, with each side blaming the other.
Considering home prices are 50% higher than before the pandemic, mortgage rates remain stubbornly high in the 6% range, and everything feels more expensive thanks to inflation and tariffs, home ownership feels largely out of reach for many younger Americans.
But one serial investor says that opting for renting instead of home ownership may not be as bad of an idea as some people think, despite it being the quintessential American Dream.
“If your goal is to become financially independent at a young age, you probably don’t want to go buy a house—but it’s a very controversial thing to say,” JL Collins told The Diary of a CEO podcast in an episode published Jan. 12.
Collins, the best-selling author of Pathfinders and The Simple Path to Wealth, said the reasoning is simple: Buying a home “dramtically inflate[s]” your cost of living. While your mortgage payment and rent payment may be similar on paper, owning a home ends up costing more in the long run and comes with unexpected expenses—often referred to as the “hidden costs” of homeownership, like insurance, repairs, and updates.
“You have the expenses of maintaining it, paying the taxes on it, blah, blah, blah,” he said. “If you stay in an apartment that is just enough to meet your needs—which, by the way, is what my daughter has done and continues to do—your costs will be lower.”
In fact, a LendingTree study also published this week shows renting is cheaper than owning in every large U.S. metro, with U.S. homeowners paying 36.9% more a month on their mortgage payment than renters. To put that in perspective, the median monthly gross rent was $1,487 in 2024, according to LendingTree, while the median monthly housing costs for homeowners with a mortgage was $2,035. That’s nearly $550 more per month for owning a home, amounting to a difference of more than $6,500 annually.
And that cost difference makes buying a home just another “expensive indulgence,” Collins argued.
“People typically buy the most house they can possibly afford. The industry drives them that way,” Collins said. “You’re going to wind up with a house that’s going to be a burden. You are not buying it from a position of strength. You are stretching to buy it. You are borrowing the most money a bank’s willing to give you.”
To be sure, Collins would know about the costs of home ownership—he’s owned homes for most of his adult life, he said. And on top of a mortgage, homeowners should expect paying for furniture, new appliances, landscaping, taxes, and maintenance.
“The list is endless,” he said. “Your mortgage is just the starting point.”
Matt Schultz, LendingTree’s chief consumer finance analyst, said in a statement shared with Fortune he understands those figures can be discouraging for people hoping for home ownership.
“Some people are becoming resigned to the fact that they’ll never be able to own a home,” he said. “That sort of decision has massive ramifications, not just for individuals but for the economy as a whole. Unfortunately, however, that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.”
That’s in line with what other housing market experts and economists have predicted about the housing market for this year. While mortgage rates might drop slightly, the hidden costs of home ownership remain—and home prices aren’t going to drop enough to make a significant difference.
According to Realtor.com data shared with Fortune, at least one of three things would need to happen to make buying a house in the U.S. more affordable for the average person: Mortgage rates would need to fall to 2.65%; median household income would need to rise by 56%; or home prices would need to decline by 35%. Each of these scenarios is unlikely to happen.
“We’re in a tough spot,” Max Slyusarchuk, CEO of A&D Mortgage, previously told Fortune.. “The moment you make strides in any of these factors, what happens? More people are in the market buying and selling homes, which in turn increases the demand, which raises prices back up.”
Under Nicolas Maduro, a status quo prevailed among Venezuela’s powerful armed factions: Paramilitary cells enforced the government’s priorities. Ever-expanding crime syndicates, deep-pocketed prison gangs and combat-tested Colombian rebels often colluded with local officials or the federal government.
But with Mr. Maduro gone, and allies and opponents competing to fill the power vacuum at Venezuela’s center, there are many forces — or breakaway groups within them — that could frustrate the ambitions of whoever governs the country.
Photos by Juan Barreto/Agence France-Presse and Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times
For now, Delcy Rodríguez, a Maduro ally who led the stabilization of Venezuela’s economy after a harrowing crash, has emerged as the Trump administration’s choice to lead the country. Ms. Rodríguez, the administration determined, has a firmer grip than the political opposition on Venezuela’s many security forces and intelligence agencies, and their paramilitary offshoots.
But the transition from Mr. Maduro’s authoritarian rule is just starting. The huge investments Venezuela will need to revive its vital oil industry, and the broader economy, require at least a semblance of stability.
That means the central government has to assert authority over areas of the country where well-armed crime syndicates or paramilitary agents hold sway, choking off their revenue streams from illegal activities, including extortion, drug smuggling and kidnapping. But that could upset the power dynamics Mr. Maduro used to cement control.
Rebecca Hanson, a sociologist at the University of Florida and an expert on Venezuela’s security landscape, said that suddenly reducing the access to illicit markets and extortion rackets that criminal groups now enjoy is a recipe for turmoil.
“That invariably results in the perfect cocktail of increased conflict, both between criminal armed groups, and between criminal groups and the state,” Ms. Hanson said.
The new dynamic does not mean a full-blown civil war is on the horizon, security experts said. But pockets of civil strife could materialize under different circumstances. These include pushback from factions in the armed forces against Venezuela’s submission to the Trump administration, or a purge of security forces and intelligence agencies by an opposition-led government, potentially flooding the country with thousands of armed individuals with an ax to grind.
But there are more immediate security challenges. One involves the colectivos, the armed civilian cells that function as paramilitary enforcers for the government.
These groups generally operate in cities where they control small but strategically important swaths of territory. In Caracas, they are based in strongholds like 23 de Enero, an area of decaying modernist apartment blocks under a mile from the Miraflores presidential palace.
What colectivos look like in the streets of Caracas
Armed members of a colectivo inspect the trunk of a car on Jan. 3, 2026. Photo by Jesús Vargas/Getty Images
Some colectivos there are more ideologically aligned with Chavismo, the socialist-inspired movement forged by Hugo Chávez. Others hew to their own mercenary ideals, relying on government payouts and small-scale criminal activities to stay afloat.
Some colectivos have been seen on the streets of Caracas since Mr. Maduro’s capture. Valentín Santana, the leader of one of the oldest colectivos, La Piedrita, suggested that unnamed elements within the government had been colluding with the United States prior to Mr. Maduro’s capture, revealing fissures within Venezuela’s power structures.
“They betrayed our president, Nicolás Maduro, but history will make them pay,” Mr. Santana said in a video made after Mr. Maduro’s capture.
Should even a small number of individuals from such groups mount armed challenges to the established order, Caracas offers multiple options for refuge with its labyrinthine squatter settlements, sprawling apartment blocks, abandoned high-rises and hilly topography.
The Coche neighborhood in El Valle in Caracas.Leonardo Fernández Viloria/Reuters
Outside Caracas, security challenges also abound. Unlike the colectivos, some armed groups in rural areas are already battle-tested against well-trained adversaries. These include Colombian guerrillas with thousands in their ranks, often operating from Venezuelan territory.
These rebel groups, the National Liberation Army, or E.L.N., and splinter cells from the demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, no longer have realistic chances of seizing control of a central government.
But their numbers are resurging as they vie for control over drug smuggling routes and extortion rackets, while still relying on other illicit revenue streams like abducting oil workers.
Venezuela’s mineral deposits are another potential source of instability, notably in the gold-rich state of Bolívar. Las Claritas Sindicato, one of the most powerful criminal groups engaged in illegal mining, is deeply rooted there.
Las Claritas, like similar groups, applies taxes on miners and traders, and exerts strict control over outposts where it imposes its own laws and punishments for scofflaws, according to InSight Crime, a research group focused on organized crime.
Venezuela’s leadership faces not only challenges from illegal armed groups, but also potential defiance from within governing circles.
At the moment, there is a fragile alliance between civilian factions, led by Ms. Rodríguez and her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, the head of the National Assembly; and military factions led by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López.
In a photo provided by the Venezuelan government, Venezuelan leaders walk together at the National Assembly, in Caracas on Jan. 5, 2026. Marcelo Garcia/Miraflores Palace/Handout via Reuters
But an open rupture between these camps over a contentious issue like U.S. meddling in Venezuela could open up other chances for conflict, warned Ms. Hanson, the sociologist.
Security forces and intelligence agencies are more closely aligned with the military faction, potentially threatening the stability of a civilian government whether it is led by a Chavista, like Ms. Rodríguez, or an opposition leader, like Maria Corina Machado, the recipient of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
Direct-to-fan platform Bandcamp said it will ban artificial intelligence-generated music and audio from its platform including any use of AI tools to impersonate other artists or styles.
The company made the announcement in a post on Wednesday (January 14).
“Something that always strikes us as we put together a roundup like this is the sheer quantity of human creativity and passion that artists express on Bandcamp every single day,” the platform said.
“The fact that Bandcamp is home to such a vibrant community of real people making incredible music is something we want to protect and maintain.”
Bandcamp said music and audio that is created “wholly or in substantial part by AI” will no longer be allowed on the platform. The company will also enforce existing policies against any use of AI tools to copy other artists or styles.
The company said: “We want musicians to keep making music, and for fans to have confidence that the music they find on Bandcamp was created by humans.”
“The fact that Bandcamp is home to such a vibrant community of real people making incredible music is something we want to protect and maintain.”
Bandcamp
Bandcamp said the new policy was driven by “the sheer quantity of human creativity and passion that artists express on Bandcamp every single day.”
Users will be able to report suspected AI-generated content through Bandcamp’s reporting tools. The company says it reserves the right to remove music based on suspicion of AI generation. The company said it will update the policy as AI technology continues to develop.
The announcement comes over four months since Bandcamp launched a new $13-a-month subscription service that is human-curated. The service gives users access to monthly record selections, listening parties, recommendations and exclusive artist content.
Bandcamp General Manager DanMelnick at the time said: “Instead of algorithms, fans get human-curated picks from some of the best DJs and journalists in their respective areas, exclusive interviews with artists, and community listening parties.”
“Vibrant music scenes are made up of DJs, journalists, fans, and artists, and Bandcamp Clubs reflect that… As always, artists are paid fairly and sit at the heart of the experience.”
“We want musicians to keep making music, and for fans to have confidence that the music they find on Bandcamp was created by humans.”
Bandcamp
Founded in 2008, Bandcamp launched as a direct-to-consumer alternative to record labels for artists. It has since expanded its services to include features such as ticketed live-streaming and vinyl pressing. Artists like Peter Gabriel and Bjork have placed their catalogs on the platform.
Bandcamp was acquired by video game maker EpicGames in 2022, which then sold it to music licensing platform Songtradr in 2023.
Last month, the company revealed that artists and labels have been paid out $154 million via its Bandcamp Friday initiative since the program’s launch in March 2020.
At the time of writing, Bandcamp’s website says the platform has seen fans pay artists $1.65 billion, with 76,532 records sold via Bandcamp yesterday alone.
Bandcamp is the latest platform to ban AI-generated content. In July, ROKK, a streaming platform focused on rock and metal music, announced that it will not allow “fully AI-generated music” on its service.
Meanwhile, Spotify in September said it removed more than 75 million “spammy tracks” from its platform over the past year amid the explosion of generative AI tools. The streaming giant rolled out new policies for managing AI-generated content on its service to address that.
In November, French streaming platform Deezersaid it receives over 50,000 fully AI-generated tracks daily, or 34% of all tracks uploaded to its platform each day.
Pakistani leaders offer condolences as firefighters battle a major blaze in Karachi.
Published On 18 Jan 202618 Jan 2026
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At least six people have been killed and about 20 injured when a fire tore through a shopping mall in Karachi, Pakistani officials say, as firefighters try to bring the blaze under control.
The fire broke out on Saturday at the Gul Plaza shopping mall, a densely packed commercial complex, and continued to burn for hours. By early Sunday, authorities said crews had managed to control about 30 percent of the fire.
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South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told the Dawn newspaper that the death toll had risen from an initial three to five. The Edhi Foundation, a medical complex, later confirmed a sixth death in a statement.
Rescue officials said the mall contains roughly 1,200 shops, raising fears that people could still be trapped inside. The Edhi Foundation said part of the building collapsed due to the intensity of the fire, complicating rescue efforts.
Garden subdivision police officer Mohsin Raza said initial findings suggested the fire started due to a short circuit in one of the shops before rapidly spreading throughout the complex.
He said the exact cause must be determined through a detailed investigation and warned that the structure needs to be secured to prevent further damage.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences over the loss of life.
In a statement carried by PTV, Sharif ordered authorities to take “all possible measures” to protect lives and property, provide assistance to affected traders and ensure medical care for the injured.
Zardari urged the government of Sindh province, whose capital is Karachi, to offer “immediate and every possible assistance” and said: “No stone should be left unturned in providing the best medical facilities to the injured.”
An initial investigation indicates a short circuit started the fire [Rizwan Tabassum/AFP]
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SwimSwam’s daily swimming workout series is a collection of workouts written by coaches from a variety of backgrounds. All daily swimming workouts have been written using Commit Swimming. The workouts themselves are not indicative of SwimSwam’s or Commit’s views on training. They strictly reflect the opinions of the author swim coach.
Workout Context
Purpose: Capacity (Base) Building
Target age group: 13-14 years old, 19-22 years old, 15-18 years old, 23+ years old
Target level: Age Group (Advanced), National/ Collegiate Level, Senior Age Group/ High School State Level, Elite International Level
We’re still in the throes of transitioning away from a majority of combustion engine-powered vehicles globally, which means questions continue to abound about switching to electric vehicles (EV), and what sort of longevity we can expect from them.
Canada-based Geotab, which makes fleet management software for logistics companies, government agencies, and smart cities, has been analyzing battery degradation in light-duty EVs since 2020. In its latest study, it looked at aggregated real-world battery health data from more than 22,700 electric cars across 21 makes and models.
The 2025 study revealed a modest average battery degradation rate of 2.3% per year, which is not bad at all. The firm says this works out to a battery lifespan of 13 years or more.
That means after a considerable amount of time – more than a dozen years – on the road, you can expect an EV’s battery to still have almost 75% of its battery capacity. That’s not bad, especially when you consider that a 2024 study by auto insurance firm The Zebra found that people in the US own their longest-kept cars for an average of about eight years. For its part, Geotab concludes this makes EVs a viable option for use in fleets, and for individual owners.
While EV batteries are estimated to last 13 years, people in the US hold on to their cars for just 8 years on average
Geotab noted that its data showed that battery degradation rates varied by model, charging habits, ambient climate, and vehicle usage patterns. Using DC fast chargers to add hundreds of miles of range in a matter of minutes tends to accelerate battery degradation more than slower Level 2 AC charging, as they raise battery temperatures during the charging process.
Interestingly, the firm’s 2024 study noted a lower average degradation rate of 1.8% per year. Geotab ascribed this to a larger dataset for its more recent report, along with an increase in the use of fast charging in its surveyed vehicles through 2025.
Battery degradation sees its energy capacity drop over time due to factors like charging behavior and vehicle usage patterns
Coupled with research showing that they start reducing their carbon footprint within just two years, this sure makes EVs look like a better choice than gas-powered cars from an environmental standpoint. We’re also starting to see semi-solid-state batteries enter the fray, which promise longer lifespans. That could enable electric cars to stay on the road for more miles and hopefully hold their resale value over a longer period too.
Soldiers are on standby for possible deployment to Minneapolis, a US defence official has told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
The official said the 1,500 soldiers, currently in Alaska, are an option for the US president if he decided to use active duty military personnel, as anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstrations continued in the city on Saturday.
No decision has yet been made on whether to deploy the soldiers from Alaska, the official said.
The soldiers are part of the 11th Airborne Division in Fort Wainwright, the official added.
It comes as a US federal judge issued an order limiting the crowd control tactics that can used by ICE agents towards “peaceful and unobstructive” protesters in Minneapolis.
The state’s National Guard has been mobilised and placed on alert by Governor Tim Walz, and other law enforcement officers were deployed to Minneapolis ahead of the anti-ICE demonstrations.
Recent protests in the city were sparked by widespread action by ICE in the city, and follow Good’s death on 7 January.
City leaders said Good was there as a legal observer of ICE activity.
But the Trump administration has called her a “domestic terrorist”.
Good’s death sparked protests across the country, with many people holding signs that read “Justice for Renee”.
