A busy January schedule suffered a significant setback when Moses Itauma was forced to withdraw from his scheduled January 24 clash with Jermaine Franklin.
The 21-year-old heavyweight prodigy was set to headline Queensberry Promotions’ latest Magnificent 7 card at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena. However, injury struck, forcing the southpaw’s withdrawal and prompting organisers to postpone the entire event. The card has now been rearranged for March 28 at the same venue.
News of the postponement was met with disappointment from fans on social media, while for fighters lower down the bill the consequences were more tangible. Training camps had already been completed, sparring partners paid and preparations finalised, meaning the delay carries an unavoidable financial sting.
Queensberry promoter Frank Warren outlined the severity of Itauma’s injury when speaking to the Clubhouse Boxing podcast, making clear there was no scenario in which his fighter could have competed.
“Very unfortunate. He’s torn a bicep muscle and he was giving it a rest. The feeling was it would be okay but he went and had another MRI and it’s torn. A specialist has said it’s impossible for him to fight and we’re not going to let him fight if he’s not ready to. So unfortunately it’s been postponed.”
The delay will extend Itauma’s time out of the ring to seven months. He has not fought since August, when he produced a devastating one-round demolition of former world title challenger Dillian Whyte, a performance that firmly announced his arrival at world level.
For Franklin, the wait will be nearly as long. The American has not boxed since September, when he outpointed Ivan Dychko on the Terence Crawford–Canelo Alvarez undercard. Having previously dropped a contentious majority decision to Whyte in 2022, Franklin will now have to wait a little longer for another opportunity to reinsert himself into the heavyweight conversation.
The Ford Nugget may forever have the spirit of a carefree 22-year-old, but Ford’s beloved camper van is actually turning the big 4-0 this year. To celebrate, Ford Pro is kicking off 2026 with a 40th anniversary edition styled to match the original Nugget from 1986. The neutral black-and-white color scheme looks stunning inside and out, while the pop-top floor plan showcases the latest in Ford’s three-room mobile living design.
Believe it or not, the Ford Nugget actually predates its world-famous rival, the Volkswagen California. Volkswagen may have a richer, more celebrated history of pop-top camper vans in general, but the model line bearing the California name launched in 1988, two years after the Ford Nugget made its world premiere.
Perhaps that’s fitting because, though Volkswagen got on the van and camper van train before Ford, the Blue Oval beat virtually every other company in the world to the very concept of RVing, starting in the mid 1910’s with the group of venerated road travelers that called themselves the “Vagabonds,” led in part by Henry Ford himself.
It was another 70 years before Ford’s iconic Nugget made its debut, but the little camper van quickly endeared itself to a much-matured RV world. The first Nugget was built aboard a fourth-generation Transit van, and as with the VW California that followed two years later, the conversion work was handled by the world famous camper van minds at Westfalia. But while Volkswagen would go on to take over the manufacturing reins from Westfalia in 2003, Ford’s Nugget work with Westfalia has continued on through multiple Nugget generations and refreshes, right up to present day.
Ford’s new special edition Nugget was inspired by the original 1986 camper van series
Ford Deutschland
And so, the two automotive icons move on to their newest collaboration, officially called the “40 Years of Nugget” limited edition and available to order in Germany now. The special anniversary van isn’t meant to be a full-on 80’s redux, but more of an inspired-by successor. So while the overall black-accented “Frozen White” look is clearly derived from the 1986 Nugget above, the roof comes in contrast black rather than white and the body stripes running the flanks are a finer pinstripe design.
The Nugget’s 40th anniversary dress is both understated and brilliantly formal, something of a black tie approach complete with black top hat, white overcoat and smart, black accessories. It would look as comfortable shuttling VIPs to the edge of the red carpet as it would popped high next to a roaring campfire.
The newest Ford Nugget camper van tips its hat to the 40-year-old original
Westfalia
We’re not quite sure if we like the new motif better than the high-rising electric blue we last saw the Nugget wearing, but the little camper certainly looks good in black and white. We especially like the sharp contrast of the roof and matching black-out fabric against the snowy white of the body.
The special edition model launches as a pop-up, and buyers can choose either the package with permanently installed rear toilet or the simpler floor plan with increased kitchen and storage space replacing the toilet compartment. It comes in 215-in (545-cm) long-wheelbase (L2) size and Active trim with a 168-hp EcoBlue diesel engine.
Whether you choose the rear toilet or extra storage capacity, the Nugget comes divided up into the unconventional but highly functional three-room concept that serves as the cornerstone of its modern design. The L-shaped kitchen is located in the rear of the van, just behind the three-seat rear passenger/dining bench. That creates a dedicated cook station away from the hustle and bustle of the front lounge or center aisle, allowing more focused, less harried meal prep.
The second room is the dining room-cum-bedroom in front, which includes the bench, two swivel driver’s cab seats and a removable dining table. The dinette converts over into a double bed at night. And of course, the third and final room is the dedicated bedroom up in the pop-up roof, where campers will find another double bed.
The “40 Years of Nugget” interior follows the exterior in featuring a heavily black-and-white scheme
Ford Deutschland
As a rule, we’re not fond of black-and-white interiors, but since we’re accustomed to seeing the Nugget with white or gray furniture and charcoal countertops, this one feels pretty natural. The exclusive interior decor contrasts white furniture with black countertops and drawer and cabinet handles to vivid effect. Thankfully, unless our eyes deceive us, Ford lays off the bipolar black/white palette for the flooring, which appears to be an earthier light beige.
The 40 Years of Nugget edition will make its official world premiere at the CMT camper and travel show in Stuttgart, Germany this week and is available to order for a base price of €89,647 (approx. US$104,100).
Ford says it’s kept the price identical to the standard L2 Nugget in Active trim with the same equipment, a nice bonus for buyers since the special model also includes a gift pack with items like an anniversary book and mug. That wouldn’t be much of a throw-in for a traditional passenger vehicle, but in a camper van, that’s a book to read by the light of the fire and a mug from which to enjoy morning coffee against a stunning backdrop.
We just finished booking our trip to Stuttgart to catch the end of CMT, and we’ll definitely be stopping by Ford’s booth to bring you a closer look at this one, along with the new Nugget High Roof and other vehicles it has on show.
South Korean entertainment giant HYBE plans to sell 5.16 billion South Korean won (approx. USD $3.51m) worth of shares, cashing them out after a recent stock rally driven by the highly anticipated return of their biggest acts, BTS.
In a corporate filing on Thursday (January 15), HYBE disclosed plans to sell 24,500 shares of its common stock at 210,740won ($143.28) apiece, representing a 36% discount to HYBE’s closing price yesterday (January 14).
The divestment comes as HYBE’s stock reached an over four-year high on January 2 at 346,000 won ($235.48), approaching levels last seen on December 30, 2021, when the stock hit 349,000 won ($237.52), before BTS announced a hiatus that sent shares plummeting.
News of the share sale boosted HYBE’s stock on Thursday, closing up 2.3% to end the trading session at 338,500 won ($230.33), more than double its 135,000 won ($91.85) IPO price in 2020.
After members completed mandatory military service in South Korea, BTS will release their fifth album on March 20 at midnight ET and embark on a world tour spanning 34 regions and 79 shows. The LiveNation-promoted tour will feature a 360-degree, in-the-round stage design. According to an earlier announcement, the immersive setup “places the audience at the center of the experience while allowing for increased capacity at every venue”.
Prior to their hiatus in 2022, the group was HYBE’s top revenue generator and were also the world’s biggest recorded music artists in 2021 and 2020, according to IFPI.
With the group’s absence, HYBE’s operating profit dropped37.5% YoY to KRW 184.82 billion ($135.55 million) in FY 2024, which the company attributed to, among other factors, “BTS‘ temporary break.”
Early hints of a BTS comeback, however, triggered a rally in HYBE’s shares, such as in the summer of 2025 when BTS members appeared together at HYBE HQ with a “we are back” banner in the background.
In November, HYBE CEO Jason Jaesang Lee said the company expects “full-scale improvement” of its revenue structure starting in 2026. The executive said: “This recovery will be anchored by BTS’ return as a group, the accelerated growth of K-pop artists, further results from our ‘multi-home, multi-genre’ strategy, and stable profitability from Weverse.”
However, as MBW reported earlier, HYBE has become less reliant on the superstar group for its revenue during their absence. HYBE was busy with major expansions in the US, Latin America, and Africa. In July, it expanded into India, opening its fifth international headquarters in Mumbai.
HYBE has also made major investments into the acquisition of local music labels and the establishment of new global musical acts like KATSEYE (formed in partnership with Universal Music Group‘s Geffen Records). In 2026, Lee told HYBE staff that the company aims to turn those investments into profit.
The company has also continued to develop its superfan platform Weverse, which has been attracting Western artists with the promise of a stronger connection with fans and new monetization opportunities.
As MBW reported, Lee indicated that HYBE of today is moving beyond being “the label behind BTS,” and even moving beyond K-pop itself.
Lee told HYBE staff in his New Year’s address: “HYBE’s growth philosophy is clear: to create top-tier IP, lead the fandom business, and expand those results into new markets and genres.”
Washington seeks improved access to strategic chip industry of island nation, over which China claims sovereignty.
Published On 16 Jan 202616 Jan 2026
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Taiwan and the United States have struck a trade deal that will see the island nation boost tech and energy investments in the US in exchange for lower tariffs.
In a statement announcing the deal late on Thursday, the US Commerce Department said Taiwan’s semiconductor and technology businesses will invest at least $250bn in the US. In exchange, it said Washington will reduce its general tariff on imports of Taiwanese goods from 20 percent to 15 percent.
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The deal illustrates an ongoing push by the US to improve access to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. The island nation holds a dominant position in the supply of the chips used in advanced digital technology across the world and, therefore, a critical component in the global economy, but it faces Chinese claims over its sovereignty.
President Donald Trump announced a 32 percent tariff on Taiwanese goods as part of his sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs last spring, a rate he later lowered to 20 percent.
The Commerce Department said the “historic” deal “will strengthen US economic resilience, create high-paying jobs, and bolster national security”.
In addition to investing $250bn in building and expanding advanced semiconductor, energy, and artificial intelligence production and innovation capacity in the US, Taiwan will provide at least the same amount in credit guarantees for additional investment by its businesses in the US semiconductor supply chain.
Silicon shield
Taiwan stressed that it would remain the world’s main semiconductor supplier.
The island’s chip industry has long been seen as a “silicon shield” protecting it from an invasion or blockade by China – which claims the island is part of its sovereign territory – and an incentive for the US to defend it.
“Based on current planning, Taiwan will still remain the world’s most important producer of AI semiconductors, not only for Taiwanese companies, but globally,” Economic Affairs Minister Kung Ming-hsin told reporters on Friday, the AFP news agency reported.
Production capacity for the advanced chips that power artificial intelligence systems will be split about 85-15 between Taiwan and the United States by 2030 and 80-20 by 2036, he projected.
Reacting to the accord, Beijing expressed its stern opposition.
“China consistently and resolutely opposes any agreement … signed between countries with which it has diplomatic relations and the Taiwan region of China,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said, urging Washington to abide by Beijing’s one-China principle.
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Yoon was impeached in 2024 for his martial law attempt
South Korea’s impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol will be jailed for five years overabuse of power, obstructing justice and falsifying documentsin relation to his failed martial law bid in 2024.
This is the first of the verdicts in four trials linked to his shock martial law decree. Although short-lived, the move triggered nationwide turmoil, sparking protests as MPs rushed to the national assembly to overturn Yoon’s decision.
Yoon’s actions “plunged the country into political crisis”, a judge said on Friday, noting that Yoon had “consistently shown no remorse”.
Friday’s ruling offers clues as to how the rest of Yoon’s trials could go. His string of charges range from abuse of power to campaign law violations.
The most serious charge is insurrection, for which prosecutors have demanded the death penalty. The verdict in that trial is expected in February.
About 100 supporters of Yoon had gathered outside the courthouse on Friday to watch the livestreamed proceedings projected on a large screen.
Some of them held red banners that read: “Yoon, again! Make Korea great again”. Several could be heard yelling at the judge as he delivered the guilty verdicts, while others looked solemn.
On Friday, Yoon was convicted of using presidential bodyguards to prevent his arrest; failing to consult his entire cabinet before declaring martial law; as well as drafting and then destroying a falsified document claiming the martial law bid had been endorsed by the prime minister and defence minister.
“The accused has the duty to safeguard the constitution and law but turned his back on them,” the judge said.
Prosecutors had sought a 10-year jail term for the charges in Friday’s ruling. Both sides have seven days to appeal.
About 100 supporters of Yoon had gathered outside the courthouse on Friday
Yoon denied the charges, arguing that the arrest warrant itself was invalid and that the letter of the law does not require him to consult every member of the cabinet before exercising emergency power.
He had claimed across his trials that investigators had no legal basis to probe and arrest him in the first place. Most of the accusations against him are invalid because there was no procedural lapse when he declared martial law, he argues.
South Korea’s courts often grant leniency when the accused accepts guilt or responsibility. But prosecutors argue that Yoon’s lack of remorse is grounds for an even more severe penalty.
Park Geun-hye, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for abuse of power and bribery in 2021, was the last former president to be jailed for a criminal charge. But she was pardoned and released from prison shortly after.
Six months after Yoon’s martial law attempt, voters elected opposition leader Lee Jae Myung in a decisive victory .
But Yoon’s trials bring the spotlight back to deep divisions in South Korea, where the former president retains strong supporters who see him as a martyr. According to a survey conducted last December, nearly 30% of South Koreans did not believe that Yoon’s martial law declaration amounted to an insurrection.
While his martial law attempt brought tens of thousands of protesters onto the streets, it also saw his supporters show up in counter protests, though in smaller numbers.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer offered a contrasting view of manufacturing in Detroit Thursday, two days after President Donald Trump defended his tariff strategy in the Motor City.
Whitmer, a term-limited Democrat who is in her last year as governor, said in a speech at the Detroit Auto Show that the administration’s tariff strategy has hurt American auto manufacturing and is benefiting Chinese competitors. It’s a message she has repeated over the past year as economic uncertainty has rippled across the automobile sector.
“This will only get worse without a serious shift in national policy,” Whitmer said.
Her remarks followed Trump’s speech defending his economic policy Tuesday in Detroit, a major hub of automobile manufacturing. He also toured the factory floor of a Ford plant in Dearborn.
“All U.S. automakers are doing great,” Trump said.
Whitmer offered a differing picture of the impact, saying that American manufacturing has contracted for months leading to job loss and production cuts. She has remained firmly opposed to Trump’s tariff strategy since last year, especially as her state partners closely with Canadian business. Automobile parts often cross the U.S.-Canadian border several times in the assembly process.
“America stands more alone than she has in decades,” Whitmer said. “And perhaps no industry has seen more change and been more impacted than our auto industry.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Whitmer’s speech.
Whitmer has kept a more cordial relationship with Trump in his second term compared to his first. The relationship included a few White House visits last year. Long considered a possible Democratic candidate for president, Whitmer’s strategy is notably different than other potential 2028 names who have take more public, combative approaches to Trump, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
In her address, her first of the year, Whitmer said every time she has met with Trump this past year, she has told him that hurting the U.S.-Canadian relationship only helps Chinese competition.
Trump changed his tune when it comes to automobiles in the last year. He originally announced a 25% tariff on automobiles and parts only to later relax the policy as domestic manufactures sought relief from the threat of rising production costs.
On his tour in the Detroit area, Trump suggested the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a major trade agreement he negotiated in his first term, was irrelevant, although he provided few other details The UMCA is up for review this year.
Whitmer defended the trade agreement in her speech.
“When we fight our neighbors, however, China wins,” she said.
Iranian and US officials traded barbs at UN Security Council meeting on deadly protests in Iran and amid threats of attack by Washington.
The United Nations Security Council has held an emergency meeting to discuss deadly protests in Iran amid threats by United States President Donald Trump to intervene militarily in the country.
Members of the influential 15-member UN body heard from Iran’s deputy UN representative, who warned at the meeting on Thursday that Iranians did not seek a confrontation but would respond to US aggression, and accused Washington of “direct involvement in steering unrest in Iran”.
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US representative Mike Waltz used his prepared remarks at the meeting to criticise the Iranian government’s response to the protests, noting that the ongoing internet blackout in Iran made it hard to verify the true extent of the crackdown by authorities there.
“The people of Iran are demanding their freedom like never before in the Islamic Republic’s brutal history,” Waltz said, adding that Iran’s claims that the protests were “a foreign plot to give a precursor to military action” were a sign that its government was “afraid of their own people”.
Waltz did not refer to the threats of military intervention in Iran that Trump has repeatedly made over the past week, before the president appeared to ease his escalating rhetoric over the past day.
Iran’s deputy UN envoy Gholamhossein Darzi told the council that his country “seeks neither escalation nor confrontation”.
“However, any act of aggression, direct or indirect, will be met with a decisive, proportionate, and lawful response under Article 51 of the UN Charter,” Darzi said.
“This is not a threat; it is a statement of legal reality. Responsibility for all consequences will rest solely with those who initiate such unlawful acts,” he said.
UN Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee briefed the council, saying that the “popular protests” in Iran “have rapidly evolved into nationwide upheaval, resulting in significant loss of life” since beginning close to three weeks ago.
“Demonstrations started on 28 December 2025, as a group of shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar gathered to protest the sharp collapse of the currency and soaring inflation, amid a wider economic downturn and worsening living conditions,” Pobee said.
She added that human rights monitors have reported “mass arrests” in Iran, “with estimates exceeding 18,000 detainees as of mid-January 2026”, but noted that the “UN cannot verify these figures”.
She called on Iran to treat detainees humanely and “to halt any executions linked to protest-related cases”.
“All deaths should be promptly, independently, and transparently investigated,” Pobee added.
“Those responsible for any violations must be held to account in line with international norms and standards.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied on Wednesday that Tehran had plans to execute antigovernment protesters.
In an interview with Fox News, Araghchi said “there is no plan for hanging at all” when asked whether there were plans to execute protesters.
Addressing Darzi and the Iranian government, Alinejad said: “You have tried to kill me three times … My crime? Simply echoing the voice of innocent people that you kill.”
Thursday’s meeting came as the US imposed further sanctions against the Iranian leadership, including Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), and several other officials, who it said were the “architects” of Tehran’s “brutal” response to the demonstrations.
Iran has already been under heavy sanctions for years, further worsening the economic crisis that has, in part, spurred the recent wave of public protests.
Iranian-American journalist and writer Masih Alinejad speaks during a UNSC session on the deadly Iran protests at UN headquarters in New York, on Thursday [Sarah Yenesel/EPA]
