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Here's how to stop an argument with a narcissist from spinning out of control

A woman looking doubtful while embraced by a man
There are a few ways to respond to a narcissist during an argument.

Vladimir Godnik/Getty Images

  • Narcissists struggle to have positive feelings about someone whom they're mad at.
  • For many people, the best thing to do is to cut a narcissist out of their life.
  • If this isn't possible there are some tactics you can use to stop the argument from escalating.

Arguing with a narcissist can lead to hurt feelings or worse. 

Narcissists tend to be incapable of "object constancy," which means they struggle with having positive and negative feelings at the same time. Once they are fired up for a fight, they can only comprehend their feelings of resentment and anger. 

As a result, even the smalles argument can escalate quickly and fiercely. An issue you thought was unimportant or even irrelevant may blow up into a relationship-ending showdown. 

Narcissists can be very delicate, depending on what sub-type they are. They are often deeply insecure underneath their bravado, so they easily mistake other people's comments and actions for "attacks on themselves," Alena Scigliano, a psychotherapist and author of "Swimming with Sharks: Surviving Narcissist-Infested Waters," told Business Insider in 2023. 

Here's what you can expect from an argument with a narcissist and what you can do to keep things from spiraling out of control, according to experts.

Learn to look for the signs of an argument.
narcissist
You probably know the signs of when the narcissist in your life is going to start an argument.

Noel Hendrickson/ Getty Images

Scigliano said when you're familiar with the narcissist in your life, you'll learn their patterns. But some common signs a narcissist is gearing up for an argument include "physical agitation, facial expressions becoming sinister, darkened eyes, and a change in their posture to become more imposing or intimidating. Their voice may also suddenly get deeper or sterner, she said.

"Whatever the signs may be, they will reflect the narcissist's desire to regain control of the situation or reestablish their authority," Scigliano said.

Expect name-calling or the silent treatment.
A man and woman lying on opposite sides of the bed facing away from each other.
After an argument, a narcissist might ignore you for hours.

Maria Korneeva/ Getty Images

Fights with a narcissist are very different from regular relationship spats, Elinor Greenberg, a psychologist and author of "Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid Adaptations: The Pursuit of Love, Admiration, and Safety," told BI in 2023.

Some of her clients have screamed at her over minor inconveniences, such as packages arriving during their session.

"If they're going to yell at me over the UPS man, you can see just how hard it is for them to have a relationship without getting nasty," she said.

When offended, narcissists may accuse their partner of being "disrespectful" or "selfish." The world revolves around them, in their eyes, so focusing on anything else feels like a direct attack.

Narcissistic rage ranges from direct confrontation with name-calling and insults to calculated, closed-down reactions like giving their partner the silent treatment for hours.

"They give you the cold shoulder, or they walk out and they find another partner," Greenberg said. "But it's all done silently and coolly and coldly β€” you know what you did.

Know you'll find yourself going in circles.
couple arguing
Arguing with a narcissist can be frustrating.

Tetra Images/Getty Images

Expect to feel frustrated with how the argument seems to be going nowhere.

"Because narcissists are fantastic at spinning others around in their webs of manipulation, you can easily become disoriented as to how the argument even began, frustrated over their circular arguments, and hopeless with regard to resolving anything," Scigliano said. 

"Oftentimes, people give up and give in just for the sake of ending the argument and reestablishing a modicum of peace," she said. 

Don't argue about "right" and "wrong."
a couple fighting
Don't try to win an argument with a narcissist.

Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

There's no point trying to figure out who is "to blame" for something, as narcissists will never admit fault. They're also not necessarily trying to "win" the argument. 

"Be aware that narcissists don't argue to prove a point," divorce attorney Derek Jacques of The Mitten Law Firm told BI in 2023. "They argue to feel a rush of satisfaction of putting you down and belittling you." 

Instead, try to empathize with their feelings.
A couple hugging on a dark street
Empathy might help calm a narcissist during an argument.

Dima Berlin/Getty Images

Some therapists debate whether narcissists mean to cause harm to their loved ones. Regardless of their intent, their attacks can still wound those around them. 

Narcissists become "visibly disappointed, frustrated, angry, and at times, violent when they don't receive the feedback, praise, and admiration they expect, especially from partners," Terrell Strayhorn, a professor of education and psychology at Virginia Union University, told BI in 2023.

"Their superiority complex compels them to lash out β€” verbally, emotionally, psychologically, and physically β€” against those who disappoint them," Strayhorn said.

One way to soothe a narcissist is to empathize with their feelings, Greenberg said. 

If you are in a relationship with a narcissist, you might naturally have a lot of empathy. You may be able to use that trait to help control the situation.  

Greenberg suggested saying something like, "You must have felt very hurt by what I did. I can understand why you are feeling that way."

Stay calm, and use "we" language.
a couple arguing
Stay away from "I" or "you" statements.

SimonSkafar/Getty Images

Saying "we" rather than "I" or "you" includes yourself in the behavior, Greenberg said. The narcissist is probably angry that you dared to defend yourself, so you can try and remind them you're in this together and that it would be better for everyone to stop.

Scigliano also recommended remaining calm, not sharing your feelings, and sticking only to the facts.

"Expressing emotions makes it easier for the narcissist to twist the conversation around and work you into a tizzy," she said.

Redirect them by asking about a topic that interests them.
A couple hold hands
Try to divert their attention to a new topic.

Fiordaliso/Getty Images

Narcissists love talking about themselves and can be know-it-alls.

Dangle a new topic in front of their face to steer the conversation away from conflict. This might not be that effective in the midst of a fierce debate, but after some time has passed, the narcissist will probably take the bait.

Another tactic is to ask for advice. It's a slightly less transparent way of changing the subject that also makes the narcissist feel superior. 

Avoid taking the bait yourself.
couple after argument
Ignore their insults.

irinamunteanu/Getty Images

As retaliation for whatever hurt they feel you've caused them, narcissists will bring up past slights or accuse you of being selfish at that moment. 

One way to deal with a narcissist is to "avoid engaging with them on their level," Jacques said. That could mean biting your tongue, even as they're spewing insults at you.  

Even an innocuous statement might provide a narcissist with ammo, Jacques said. "Take those opportunities away from them and you remove their power."

Greenberg also said that by ignoring the name-calling, you can often avoid the fight. If you respond to it, things are likely to escalate, and you're giving the narcissist exactly what they want β€” your pain.

Remember to put yourself first.
A couple look forlorn while sitting on a bed
You might need to break things off with the narcissist in your life.

Delmaine Donson/Getty Images

Being in a romantic relationship with a narcissist can be an emotionally draining, damaging process. Using these methods to deal with a narcissist may help deescalate upsetting and potentially dangerous, situations.

For most people, though, breaking up with a narcissist is the better, safer option. The very nature of being a narcissist means they don't see anything wrong with themselves, so they are unlikely to ever change or seek help. Ultimately, your energy is better off being used elsewhere.

If you suspect you might be in an abusive relationship, or you know someone who is, there are services you can reach out to. The MyPlan App from One Love and the National Domestic Abuse Hotline are resources that can help.

This article was first published in February 2018 and was last updated on January 10, 2025.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Record-breaking Ukrainian F-16 pilot showed great skill gunning down Russian missiles 'without fragging himself,' veteran US fighter pilot says

A Ukrainian pilot abroad a F-16 fighter jet
A photo shared by Ukraine's Air Force Command when said that one of its F-16 pilots took out six Russian cruise missiles at once.

Facebook/@Air Force Command of UA Armed Forces

  • Ukraine said one of its pilots downed a record-breaking six cruise missiles in a single mission.
  • The pilot said he downed two of them with his gun, something experts said took great skill and risk.
  • Getting close enough to shoot down missiles requires skill to avoid getting hit with dangerous debris.

The Ukrainian F-16 pilot said to have shot down half a dozen Russian cruise missiles in a single mission showed remarkable skill, particularly during a risky gun battle, a former US Air Force pilot told Business Insider.

Ukraine's air force command said that an F-16 pilot took out six Russian cruise missiles during a single flight in December, calling it a first for the jet. It said that during the historic engagement, the pilot shot down two missiles with the F-16's M61A1 six-barrel 20 mm cannon.

Ret. Col. John Venable, a 25-year veteran of the US Air Force and a former F-16 pilot, told BI that the pilot's ability to gun down the Russian missiles without putting his own aircraft at risk required a lot of skill.

He said "the fact that he did that without fragging himself" says "a lot about his skill set."

Switching to guns raises risks

Ukraine's F-16s have been repeatedly seen flying with an air-defense loadout of two AIM-9 Sidewinders and two AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles. The country's air force said the pilot had used up all of his missiles and was low on fuel after destroying four Russian missiles, but he then saw another Russian missile going toward Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.

He moved to intercept it, firing his gun at the missile that was traveling over 400 miles an hour, the air force said. There was more than one explosion, and the pilot realized that he had actually eliminated two Russian missiles.

The Ukrainian F-16 pilot, per a translation by RBC-Ukraine, said that there was a danger in doing that because "shooting down cruise missiles with a cannon is very risky because of the high speed of the target and the danger of detonation. But I did what the instructors in the US taught me, and I managed to hit it."

Venable said the risk of debris makes this kind of engagement more dangerous for the pilot. He said that pilots must get close to missiles to get a good shot.

He said that if the intercepting aircraft is behind the target and it explodes when hit, "you're going to be what we call fragged," meaning that the aircraft absorbs some of the explosive debris. Pilots have to come in at an angle. Venable said that there being two missiles meant the situation required greater skill.

An F-16 fighter jet flies in the air against a gray sky.
Ukrainian Air Force's F-16 fighter jet flies in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.

AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File

Tim Robinson, a military aviation specialist at the UK's Royal Aeronautical Society, likewise said that fighter pilots using guns must get "pretty close" to their target. That brings danger, with cruise missiles "packed with explosives."

"If you're firing at something and it's at close range and that thing goes off β€” you've got to be pretty aggressive and pretty brave to be doing that," he said.

It takes skill to fly this mission

Retired US Army Maj. Gen. Gordon "Skip" Davis, the former deputy assistant secretary-general for NATO's defense-investment division, told BI "shooting two cruise missiles with aircraft guns is quite impressive."

Venable said that pilots who are shooting at a missile but want to protect their aircraft must approach the missile like they are coming onto a highway from an off-ramp, "where you're at 90 degrees out, and then you start to actually align your car with the highway as that on-ramp turns onto the road."

"That's where you want to take the shot, not when you are right behind the aircraft." And doing that "takes skill," he said.

Ukraine has not commented on the aircraft's state but said the pilot landed at an airfield, indicating it was intact.

Ukraine's air force command said pilots learned to shoot missiles with aircraft cannons in US simulators but never tried it before in combat, the Kyiv Post reported.

The undersides of two F-16s flying against a gray sky.
Ukrainian Air Force's F-16 fighter jets fly in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.

AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

Peter Layton, a fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute and a former Royal Australian Air Force officer, told BI the gun kill was "good flying."

He said that it's "easier now with modern radars in fighters than in World War II, but the fighter still needs to close with the cruise missile and fire very accurately."

The jets are likely to continue to fight as missile shields

Battling Russian aircraft would be the better test because they shoot back, but Venable said the reported achievement, which he said was "more than plausible," says a lot "about how far Ukraine's air force has come" and the Ukrainian air force's capabilities.

Kyiv's new F-16s provide added air defense as Russia batters Ukraine with barrages of missiles, hitting major cities and energy infrastructure and killing civilians. The jets support already-strained ground-based air defenses.

This mission carries risks, and Ukraine has already lost at least one of its F-16s and one of its trained pilots.

Russia missile attacks in a residential area of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine reportedly killed two people and injured 15.
The aftermath of a Russian missile attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser on the International Security Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told BI that Ukraine is facing threats Western pilots haven't.

"None have faced the numbers of simultaneous incoming missiles that the Ukrainians have," he said. "US and Western pilots have faced one or two incoming missiles at a time."

Ukraine has a limited F-16 fleet that arrived later than desired. Partner nations have pledged more than 85, far fewer than what the Ukrainians likely need. Many of the jets, older versions of what Western nations fly, still haven't been delivered.

Ukraine probably won't receive enough fighters to use them the way the West does, but it can use them to strengthen its air defenses.

Venable said Ukraine does not have enough aircraft, stealth platforms, and other assets to be able to really use its jets to press against Russia. He said partners had to be conscious of leaving enough jets in their own fleets.

Col. Yuriy Ihnat, the head of the Ukrainian air force command's public relations service, said Ukraine wants more powerful modifications and missiles for its F-16s to compete with Russia, but said the headline-making intercept showed the skill of Ukrainian pilots and how formidable Ukraine's air force could be with more powerful jets.

Read the original article on Business Insider

A woman says her boyfriend tricked her into a wedding, convincing her it was a prank for Instagram

groom puts ring on bride
The bride says she thought the ceremony was just a social media prank.

Kenji Lau/Getty Images

  • A couple in Australia had their marriage annulled after the bride said she didn't genuinely consent.
  • The woman said she believed the ceremony was a "prank" being filmed for Instagram.
  • A judge ruled in her favor, saying it was likely the applicant believed she was just acting.

A couple in Australia had their marriage annulled after the bride testified in court that she thought the ceremony was part of a "prank" video orchestrated by the groom for social media clout.

In a family court judgment from October, which was made public this month, a judge declared the couple's December 2023 marriage void.

The bride, 24, filed for the annulment in May 2024, arguing that the marriage to the groom, in his 30s, was a sham because she did not offer real consent.

She said she thought she was merely playing the role of a bride for a video that the groom, a social media influencer with over 17,000 followers, would post on Instagram.

The Guardian Australia was the first to report on the judgment.

The bride says she thought it was a 'prank'

The couple, both originally from the same country, met on a dating platform in September 2023.

For legal reasons, their identities cannot be published.

In her affidavit, the bride said that after a brief period of dating, the groom invited her to Sydney in December 2023 to attend a "white party," instructing her to wear a white dress.

Upon arriving at the venue, she said she was "shocked" to find out for the first time that he had "organized a wedding for us."

She said she felt uncomfortable and told the groom she was leaving. However, she testified that she did not leave, and instead called a friend for advice.

The bride said the groom had told her it was a "simple prank" and that her friend assured her that she could not legally marry without a notice of intention to marry being filed.

During cross-examination, the bride testified: "He pulled me aside, and he told me that he'd organizing a prank wedding for his social media, to be precise, Instagram, because he wants to boost his content and wants to start monetizing his Instagram page."

Video evidence presented in court showed the celebrant leading the couple through their vows. The judge said that nothing in the words used by the bride "revealed hesitation or uncertainty."

"We had to act," she said in cross-examination, "to make it look real."

The couple got engaged 2 days earlier

In his affidavit, the groom disputed the bride's account, claiming the ceremony was legitimate and resulted in a valid marriage.

He said the bride had accepted his marriage proposal, which she did not deny.

However, she said that while she did eventually intend to marry him, she didn't expect to get married so soon after the proposal β€” just two days later.

In her affidavit, the bride said her culture would require either her parents to be present or to grant permission beforehand.

The judge wrote, "In my view, it beggars belief that a couple would become engaged in late December then married two days later."

The judge added that a wedding celebrant had been retained over a month before the groom proposed, a notice of intention to marry had been filed in November, and the bride didn't have a single friend or family member present.

The bride said she only found out the marriage was real in February last year when the groom, who was applying for refugee status, asked to be put as a dependent on her application for permanent residency.

In concluding remarks, the judge wrote: "On the balance of probabilities, in my view it is more probable than not that the applicant believed she was acting in a social media event on the day of the alleged ceremony, rather than freely participating at a legally sanctioned wedding ceremony."

Read the original article on Business Insider

Russia's elites say they are tired of waiting for the war to end: report

Russia's President Vladimir Putin at a Security Council meeting via videoconference in Moscow on December 28, 2024.
High-ranking Russian officials are frustrated with President Vladimir Putin's war, sources told Meduza.

SERGEI ILYIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

  • Russia's elites are growing frustrated with Putin's efforts to wage war in Ukraine, per Meduza.
  • Sources told the outlet they're also concerned about the long-term impact of Western sanctions.
  • But Russian security officials appear to want Putin to intensify the war, a DC think tank said.

Russia's elites are growing tired of waiting for the war to end and are concerned about the long-term impact of Western sanctions on Russia's economy, according to a report by Meduza.

High-ranking sources told the independent Russian outlet that Russia's "elites" are disappointed that the war with Ukraine didn't end in 2024.

The sources included people close to and in the Russian presidential administration, two State Duma deputies, a senator, and three high-ranking officials in Russian regional governments.

One government source told the outlet that the overall emotions are "disappointment" and "fatigue."

"We were waiting for the war to end, for the fighting to end," they said. "We are tired of even waiting."

Two people close to the presidential administration said that the government doesn't have a clear postwar vision.

Meanwhile, another source said Russian elites, primarily high-ranking security officials, are growing irritated by the lack of manpower and material to wage the war, and believe Putin must launch a mobilization effort to further shift Russian society and economy to a war footing.

Since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has significantly grown its military and war economy. However, the war has come at a considerable cost.

Russian troop losses have risen for six straight months, the UK Ministry of Defence said this week, citing Ukrainian data. It said Russia's costliest day came on December 19, when 2,200 of its troops were killed or wounded.

Russia's economy has also come under strain due to persistent high inflation, slowing economic growth, and Western sanctions.

Even so, the Institute for the Study of War, a DC think tank, said Meduza's report, published Thursday, suggests that high-ranking Russian military and security officials believe Putin should escalate the war rather than seek a diplomatic solution.

In an update on Thursday, the ISW said that Russian security and military officials don't appear ready to abandon the war, despite mounting battlefield losses.

Instead, it said, they are seemingly advocating for Putin to intensify Russia's war effort by calling for additional partial reserve call-ups and a formal decision to transition to a wartime footing.

But, according to the ISW, Putin is against further mobilizing the Russian economy or a partial involuntary reserve call-up because these measures would be extremely unpopular and would worsen the country's labor shortages.

Read the original article on Business Insider

A Trump campaign worker was the last winner of Musk's controversial $1M election sweepstake

President-elect Donald Trump greets Elon Musk as he arrives to attend a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024.
Elon Musk contributed to the Trump campaign through his super PAC, America PAC.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

  • Elon Musk's $1 million sweepstake ended with a Michigan man winning the final prize.
  • The selection process faced legal scrutiny for not being random, as the winners were handpicked.
  • The last winner was paid thousands by the Trump campaign and was pictured at campaign events.

Elon Musk's controversial $1 million swing state giveaway concluded with the final prize going to a Michigan man who had worked on President-Elect Donald Trump's campaign.

The sweepstakes, funded by Musk through America PAC, a pro-Trump super PAC, distributed daily prizes in the lead-up to the election.

The prizes went to registered voters in swing states who signed an online petition pledging support for free speech and gun rights.

In return, participants received cash payments of up to $100 and a chance to win $1 million.

On the sweepstakes' final day, America PAC announced Tyler VanAkin of Reading, Michigan, as the last $1 million check recipient.

"Tyler was traveling but we were able to meet up with him before he boarded his flight," it said in a post on X.

However, it omitted key details about VanAkin's work for the Republican presidential campaign, and also that he was en route to Trump's election night watch party in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The Financial Times was the first to report the details, based on election filings.

The controversial giveaway

In announcing the sweepstake on October 19, Musk said, "We're gonna be awarding a million dollars, randomly, every day from now until the election."

It was later revealed that it was not random at all and that America PAC was hand-selecting recipients.

In October, Philadelphia County District Attorney Larry Krasner sued Musk and his super PAC, characterizing it as an illegal lottery scheme.

But Judge Angelo Foglietta of Philadelphia's Court of Common Pleas allowed the giveaway to continue in Pennsylvania, writing in a decision that Musk's giveaway failed to meet the criteria required for a lottery under Pennsylvania law.

One of those criteria is that winners need to be chosen at random.

During the hearing, America PAC's treasurer testified that those chosen to win were "selected by the organization in a multi-step process."

The PAC said this involved reviewing participants' social media posts and meeting them in person.

Musk's lawyers also said at the hearing that individuals were selected based on their "suitability" to serve as spokespersons for the PAC, and that the windfall would not be lottery winnings but compensation for being chosen as spokespeople.

The Trump campaign paid him for 'advance consulting'

A year-end FEC filing by America PAC shows that VanAkin was paid $1 million on November 12, 2024, a week after his win was announced, for his services as a "spokesperson consultant."

The other announced winners are also listed in the filing, but only VanAkin received income from political committees, per the Financial Times.

FEC filings for the Trump campaign show that VanAkin worked for them between June and October, earning a little over $14,200 for "advance consulting & per diem," and receiving more than $16,300 in travel reimbursements.

Instagram posts also show that VanAkin, who works as a chiropractor, attended a bus tour stop with campaign staff, wearing a Trump-Vance branded jacket, and was in attendance at the West Palm Beach election watch party.

America PAC, the Trump campaign, and VanAkin did not immediately respond to Business Insider's requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider

A drone collided with one of the only Super Scooper planes fighting the LA wildfires, grounding a key resource

A plane drops water on part of the Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025.
A Super Scooper drops ocean water on part of the Palisades fire in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday.

Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

  • A Super Scooper firefighting plane was grounded after hitting a drone in the skies over LA.
  • It's one of only two Super Scooper planes helping fight the wildfires ravaging the area.
  • The FAA has placed flight restrictions over much of LA's airspace since Thursday afternoon.

One of only two Super Scooper planes helping to fight the Los Angeles wildfires has been taken out of action after it collided with a drone on Thursday.

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said that the aircraft landed safely, but LA County's fire chief, Anthony Marrone, said it was damaged in the encounter.

"A small drone hit the wing of our CL-415 Super Scooper aircraft" at the Palisades Fire, Marrone said at a press conference Friday.

"The pilots were unaware that they hit the drone until they landed," he said. Maintenance workers spotted a "fist-sized hole in the leading edge of the wing," Marrone said.

The LA Times had earlier reported the grounding, citing its own interview with Marrone.

The aircraft, named the Quebec 1, struck the drone at about 1 p.m. Thursday, according to the LA County Fire Department.

Marrone said at the press event that the plane was getting urgent repairs and ought to be flying again by Monday.

Fire services have been operating two Canadair CL-415 firefighting aircraft, known as Super Scoopers, as well as several other aircraft, to combat the massive wildfires ravaging Southern California.

The planes are fitted with tanks that skim large bodies of water to "scoop" water up and then drop it on fires from above.

california wildfire
A Canadair CL-415 Super Scooper firefighting plane dropping water on a California fire in 2014.

REUTERS/Jonathan Alcorn

"Flying a drone near a wildfire is dangerous and can cost lives," the FAA said in its statement, adding that it's a federal crime to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands, punishable by up to a year in prison.

There's also a civil penalty of up to $75,000 for drone operators who interfere with emergency and wildfire responders during temporary flight restrictions, it said.

Marrone echoed that warning Friday, saying that flying a drone near the fire is "not only dangerous, it's illegal."

He said that if more drones are spotted, firefighters would have to ground their flights again, hampering their work.

At 4:18 p.m. local time on Thursday, the FAA issued the first of three Notice to Airmen flight-operating restrictions over large areas above the fires to allow firefighting aircraft to operate.

The FAA statement said: "When people fly drones near wildfires, fire response agencies often ground their aircraft to avoid the potential for a midair collision.

"Delaying airborne response poses a threat to firefighters on the ground, residents, and property in nearby communities, and it can allow wildfires to grow larger."

A home burns during the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025.
A house burning during the Palisades fire on Wednesday.

AGUSTIN PAULLIER/AFP/Getty Images

Chris Thomas, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesperson, told the military-news site The War Zone that the damaged Super Scooper was one of only two in Cal Fire's arsenal.

He added that other aircraft fighting the blazes had been temporarily grounded as well.

"This is creating a huge danger," Thomas added. "This is an unprecedented fire. When we ground all aircraft, it could be anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour. You know how far a fire can spread in half an hour."

As of Friday, almost 36,000 acres were burning, according to official figures.

The drone operator has not been identified, but there has been speculation online, with many social media users pointing to photography accounts that have posted aerial images of the fires.

Marrone warned that federal officials were monitoring the area and had the ability to identify who was flying drones.

Consumer drones hit the headlines last month after a spate of drone sightings over the East Coast raised public anxiety, even after the White House and Pentagon said the drones didn't pose a threat.

Read the original article on Business Insider

How can LA put out its hellish wildfires? Until the weather turns, it's 'essentially impossible.'

The before-after photo shows houses and buildings on fire on East Altadena Drive in Los Angeles on January 8, 2025.
A before-after photo of houses and buildings on fire on East Altadena Drive in Los Angeles on January 8, 2025.

Satellite image @2025 Maxar Technologies

  • Firefighters in LA have limited options against blazes so huge.
  • Common tactics like firebreaks, controlled burns, and dousing vital buildings face big hurdles.
  • A wildfire expert told BI that the fire is unlikely to be put out until LA's winds change.

Firefighters confronting the Los Angeles wildfires face hurdles to many tactics in their arsenal as they try to tame some 27,000 burning acres.

As of Thursday, more than 1,400 firefighters were battling several blazes with both ground crews and airdrops.

The firefighters of California "are amongst the best-trained and best-equipped wildfire fighters anywhere in the world," said Stefan Doerr, a professor of wildland fire science at the UK's Swansea University.

But, he told Business Insider, "they are really challenged by the fact that the winds are so extreme, as well as having several large fires burning at the same time."

Blended view of fires at the summit of Pacific Palisades on January 8, 2025.
Blended view of fires at the summit of Pacific Palisades on January 8, 2025.

Satellite image @2025 Maxar Technologies

His conclusion: Until the winds fanning the blazes die down, "putting out a fire like this is essentially impossible."

Numerous California officials gave a similar assessment, saying there was no immediate prospect of containing the fires.

'Not prepared'

Anthony Marrone, the fire chief of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department, told local outlet 6ABC: "LA County and all 29 fire departments in our county are not prepared for this type of widespread disaster."

They could handle one or two major fires, he said, "but not four."

Doerr, who did not have direct information about the LA fire services' plans, walked BI through some tactics generally used for major wildfires, and their limitations in combatting these fires.

1) Attack from the side

"This fire is very complex," said Doerr, pointing to the number of distinct blazes, some expanding in several directions at once.

Most of the fires were being pushed toward the sea by powerful inland air currents known as Santa Ana winds.

Doerr said there it is too dangerous to approach so huge a fire from the front, where it burns most intensely.

"It's usually attacked on the side to basically shrink the overall fire front," he said.

2) Use β€” or make β€” firebreaks

Common tactics include removing flammable material with bulldozers, he said. "Removing the vegetation is much more effective than trying to fight a fire like this with water."

The problem is that LA's topography is complex, making it hard to remove vegetation, he said.

The sun shines weakly through haze on the beachfront after the Palisades fire swept through, with burned-out palm trees visible.
Beachfront homes devastated by the Palisades fire.

Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

"That leaves the firefighting forces with limited opportunities," he said. One option is to take advantage of natural firebreaks, such as roads and rivers, or other spots with no flammable vegetation, he said.

There, firefighters could wet the area or use a fire retardant to slow the fire, he said.

Even that, Doerr said, is "very, very challenging" in this instance.

"Even if they are able to basically stop the flames from moving over, say, a road or something directly, the strong winds often mean that you have embers flying over large distances," he said, adding that in some fires, these can travel miles.

That could, in turn, spark more fires, leapfrogging the barriers.

3) Soak important buildings

"When we see firefighters using water, it's often to protect properties β€” to stop them burning, rather than stopping the entire fire," Doerr said.

As well as ground crews, Chinook helicopters have been dropping thousands of gallons of water on the fire. "It's like having six fire trucks show up to your house every 10 minutes," Wayne Coulson, CEO of the Coulson Group, told Global News.

The fires have put immense strain on LA's water supply.

A hilltop view of water being dropped by helicopter at night on the burning Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025
Water is dropped by helicopter on the burning Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles.

Ethan Swope/Getty Images

Three huge tanks of a million gallons each serving the Pacific Palisades ran dry within hours under "tremendous demand," said Janisse QuiΓ±ones, chief engineer and CEO of the LA department of water and power, according to The Guardian.

"We're fighting a wildfire with urban water systems, and that is really challenging," QuiΓ±ones said, per the paper.

4) Accept losses and prioritize

So many structures are under threat that it is impossible to protect all of them with water. Here, tough decisions have to be made, with important buildings like hospitals likely to receive priority, Doerr said.

More than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed, including the homes of celebrities like Paris Hilton and Billy Crystal.

Another extreme option would be to bulldoze whole streets to create a firebreak, Doerr said.

Flames from the Palisades Fire burn homes on January 7, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California
Homes burning in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of LA.

Eric Thayer/Getty Images

It would be a desperate measure against some of the most costly properties in the world β€” but "it's still cheaper than having it burn down, and burning the next building along the road," he said.

"Whether they take these extreme measures at the moment, I don't know, but they have done this in the past in extreme fires," he added.

Some tactics are likely out of bounds

One option that is likely out of reach is what Doerr called a "tactical burn."

When tackling some seasonal wildfires, firefighters light a smaller, controlled fire in the path of the main flames to burn away the available fuel, he said.

This can be really effective β€” but with the strong winds in LA, it risks making things even worse, Doerr said.

"Otherwise you're just going to generate a new fire that's going to burn further on," he said.

Waiting for the wind to change

Observers are anxiously keeping tabs on a key metric β€” the percentage of containment of the fire.

But it's often misunderstood. "'Contained' means that you basically stopped the edges of the fire from moving further," said Doerr. 100% containment means authorities are reasonably sure the fire can no longer spread, he said. From there, it can burn itself out.

According to the fire service, two smaller fires were partially contained as of early Thursday, at 10% and 40% each. The larger ones were at 0%.

For all their efforts, LA's firefighters are largely "at the mercy of the weather," Doerr said.

"In reality, most fires of such extremity tend to be stopped by a change in weather," he added.

Winds, which on Thursday were gusting up to 25 mph, are forecast by the National Weather Service to slow down to a maximum of 15 mph by Friday evening, offering the best opportunity yet to stop the blaze.

Until then, Doerr said, "putting out a fire like this is essentially impossible."

Read the original article on Business Insider

Satellite images show the scale of the destruction from LA's wildfires

A satellite image taken by Maxar Technologies shows the Eaton fire burning homes in Altadena on January 8, 2025.
Satellite imagery of the Eaton fire destroying homes in Altadena, California, on Wednesday.

Satellite image @2025 Maxar Technologies

  • Major fires in the Los Angeles area have leveled entire communities.
  • Satellite images show flames wreaking havoc on houses, businesses, and other structures.
  • At least 10 people have died, and the fires have destroyed about 10,000 structures.

Widespread fires have besieged the Los Angeles area for four days. At least 10 people have died and more than 150,000 have been ordered to evacuate their homes.

As of Friday afternoon, six separate fires were still burning in parts of the city and its surrounding areas, but firefighters were making progress during a reprieve from powerful winds.

Satellite and aerial images provided to Business Insider by Maxar Technologies and Nearmap show the trail of destruction the fires have left in Altadena, Pasadena, Malibu, and Pacific Palisades, some of the most heavily affected areas.

The Palisades and Eaton Fires
satellite image shows two giant smoke plumes rising from mountain ridges at the edges of the los Angeles area
Smoke from the Palisades (left) and Eaton (right) fires rises from the LA area on Thursday.

Satellite image Β©2025 Maxar Technologies

These two blazes spread for days with firefighters unable to stop their growth.

As of Friday at noon Pacific Time, the Palisades fire had consumed more than 20,400 acres and was 8% contained, and the Eaton Fire had burned more than 13,600 acres with 3% containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Together, they've destroyed about 10,000 structures, the agency estimates.

Entire neighborhoods burned to the ground
satellite view of blocks of burned down houses in the pacific palisades
A neighborhood that's burned down in the Pacific Palisades.

Satellite image Β©2025 Maxar Technologies

Charred, leveled communities like this are emerging in the paths of both fires.

A windstorm quickly spread the fires
Blended view of fires at the summit of Pacific Palisades on January 8, 2025.
Fires at the summit of Pacific Palisades on Wednesday.

Satellite image @2025 Maxar Technologies

Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles County, was the first to be devastated. The fire there broke out on Tuesday morning.

The blaze spread so far, so quickly in part because of a windstorm that the National Weather Service called "life-threatening and destructive."

Gusts up to 100 mph carried burning embers far into residential areas, igniting spot fires that grew into an urban conflagration.

In the above image, you can see where some of those spot fires began far from the initial brush fire.

Some of the world's most expensive homes burned
satellite image shows some houses on fire in a residential area next to a parking lot
Houses on fire in the Pacific Palisades on Tuesday.

Nearmap

The Palisades Fire alone has become the most destructive fire ever to hit Los Angeles County, CNN reported Wednesday, citing Cal Fire data. Fire experts suspect it could be the costliest in California history, maybe even in US history.

The Altadena neighborhood also burned
Before and after images captured by Maxar Technologies show houses burning down in the Altadena residential neighborhood on January 8, 2025.
Before and after images showing the destruction of houses in Altadena, California, as of Wednesday.

Satellite image @2025 Maxar Technologies

These satellite images show houses burned down in the Altadena neighborhood, one of the areas most affected by the Eaton Fire.

The neighborhood was virtually destroyed
The before-after photo shows houses and buildings on fire on East Altadena Drive in Los Angeles on January 8, 2025.
Before and after photos of East Altadena Drive in Los Angeles.

Satellite image @2025 Maxar Technologies

Houses and buildings on East Altadena Drive are glowing orange with flame and shrouded in smoke in this image from Wednesday.

Flying over the area after the flames subsided, the ABC7 helicopter pilot Scott Reiff said, "it looks basically like it was carpet-bombed."

In Pasadena, idyllic streets turned to ash
before-and-after satellites images show suburban neighborhood of homes then the same area with most homes replaced by piles of charred rubble
A block in Pasadena, before and after the Eaton Fire.

Nearmap

When houses are built this close together, one burning building can easily ignite its neighbors. A house fire burns much hotter than a forest fire because of the materials that are burning, according to Louis Gritzo, the chief science officer at the commercial property insurance company FM.

Many homes didn't stand a chance. They were under siege from "the high heat release from one burning structure combined with a continual ember attack," Gritzo said.

The road to Malibu burned
Structures were on fire on the Tuna Canyon Road in these before and after images captured by Maxar Technologies on January 8, 2025.
Tuna Canyon Road ablaze on Wednesday.

Satellite image @2025 Maxar Technologies

The Pacific Coast Highway and Tuna Canyon Road, which connects Malibu and Topanga, were covered in smoke Wednesday as fires burned through.

Many of the homes along the PCH have been incinerated.

Malibu did, too
satellite image shows malibu's la costa beach community burned down with most home lots full of ashen rubble through a sheen of smoke
Destruction of beachfront homes along La Costa Beach, Malibu, shown in infrared.

Satellite image Β©2025 Maxar Technologies

The true scale of devastation and loss of life may not become clear for many days.

Fire conditions may continue for days
A satellite image of Eaton fire burning through Altadena.
The Eaton fire burning through buildings in Altadena on Wednesday.

Maxar Technologies

A red flag warning for critical fire weather is set to continue in Los Angeles and Ventura counties through 6 p.m. Friday.

The National Weather Service expects about 18 hours of reprieve before another round of "gusty" winds late Saturday into Sunday, with a stronger wind event possible Monday night through Wednesday.

"We're not out of the woods yet," said Courtney Carpenter, a warning-coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

Correction: January 9, 2025 β€” An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of a warning-coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service. She's Courtney Carpenter, not Courtney Carpen.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Parts of the US should be renamed 'AmΓ©rica Mexicana,' Mexican president says in response to Trump

Claudia Sheinbaum

credit should read Carlos Santiago/ Pixelnews/Future Publishing via Getty Images

  • The President of Mexico has suggested renaming parts of the US to "AmΓ©rica Mexicana."
  • Claudia Sheinbaum's sarcastic remark followed Trump's idea of renaming the Gulf of Mexico as "the Gulf of America."
  • Sheinbaum added that she believed she would have a good relationship with Trump.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has responded to President-elect Donald Trump's proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico as "the Gulf of America," suggesting that parts of North America should be renamed "AmΓ©rica Mexicana."

During a press briefing on Wednesday, Sheinbaum pointed to a colonial-era 17th-century map showing parts of US territory that were once part of Mexico.

"Why don't we call it AmΓ©rica Mexicana? That sounds nice, no?" she said.

Her remarks came after Trump, speaking at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Tuesday, said he planned to rename the Gulf.

"We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America," he said. "What a beautiful name β€” and it's appropriate."

Following the conference, United States Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X: "I'll be introducing legislation ASAP to officially change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to its rightful name, the Gulf of America!"

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was willing to work with Trump on renaming the Gulf, but only if Trump worked with Democrats on "an actual plan to lower costs for Americans."

"That is what the American people want us to focus on first, not on renaming bodies of water," Schumer said.

President Trump’s second term is off to a GREAT start.

I’ll be introducing legislation ASAP to officially change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to its rightful name, the Gulf of America! pic.twitter.com/uFlrNkw7c6

β€” Rep. Marjorie Taylor GreeneπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ (@RepMTG) January 7, 2025

In the press briefing, Sheinbaum also hit back at Trump's claim that Mexico was "run by cartels," saying the "people are in charge" of the nation.

The president added that Trump had "his own way of communicating" but that she believed she would still have a good relationship with him.

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A woman killed her lookalike to fake her own death. When she was sentenced to prison, nobody told the victim's family.

Sharaban K, left, and Khadidja O, right, in a composite image.
Sharaban K., left, was convicted of the murder of Khadidja O., right., in December.

Insider via BILD-Foto

  • A woman in Germany was sentenced to life for murdering her doppelgΓ€nger in 2022.
  • The victim's family in Algeria found out about the verdict three weeks later.
  • They say they were kept in the dark through the ordeal.

A woman and her male accomplice were sentenced to life in prison following an 11-month murder trial in Germany that sparked headlines across the world.

The case ended with their convictions for the August 2022 murder of the victim, described as her killer's doppelgΓ€nger.

But the family of Khadidja O., the victim, say they were kept in the dark while they were hundreds of miles away in Algeria.

"We didn't know anything," Khadidja's younger sister, Ahlem BoudjemaΓ’, told Business Insider of the trial.

She learned about the verdict only from BI's reporter getting in touch three weeks after the sentencing.

A language barrier and complex family dynamics contributed to German authorities falling short of their aim to communicate with the murder victim's relatives overseas.

The 'doppelgΓ€nger murder'

A photo of the victim, Khadidja, as a child in Algeria.
A photo of the victim, Khadidja, as a child in Algeria.

Mohamed Mira

Khadidja, a 23-year-old beauty influencer who was living in Heilbronn, Germany, was killed two-and-a-half years ago.

While her father was part of the prosecution of her murder, the family she kept in touch with in Algeria found themselves shut out of the case.

Prosecutors said Khadidja was tracked down on Instagram by a woman who looked like her in a plot to fake her own death.

They said a 25-year-old Iraqi-German woman, identified only as Shahraban K., orchestrated the murder.

(In Germany, it is customary to refer to victims and defendants only by their first names and an initial.)

Prosecutors said that, along with an accomplice identified as Sheqir K., she lured Khadidja into a trap by pretending to offer her a free cosmetic treatment.

For a time, authorities indeed believed Shahraban was the one who died.

In August 2022, police discovered a bloodied body with dozens of stab wounds and initially identified it as hers.

However, an autopsy later revealed the body to be that of Khadidja, who police said bore a "striking resemblance" to Shahraban.

This discovery led to Shahraban and, later, Sheqir being named as suspects in the murder. The killing gripped the media, becoming widely known as the "doppelgΓ€nger murder."

Mid-way through the trial, prosecutors alleged that Shahraban previously tried to hire someone to murder a relative.

Both defendants were ultimately found guilty of murder, with Shahraban also facing an additional conviction of attempted incitement to murder her brother-in-law.

Thomas Schlappa, a press officer for Ingolstadt's regional court, confirmed that the two defendants were sentenced to life behind bars on December 19.

He said that Shahraban's case was deemed so severe that probation is "not an option."

Left in the dark

The victim's father, who lives in Germany and has had no contact with the Algerian family since a contentious divorce, was represented in court.

The rest of Khadidja's family in Oran, Algeria, had no legal representation and received little information throughout the trial.

They said they only learned about the verdict on January 8, 2025, nearly three weeks later, after Business Insider messaged them.

"I don't know why they did this to us," BoudjemaΓ’, the younger sister, told BI of the German authorities, who had earlier said the relatives deserved access to that information.

Nonetheless, Khadidja's Algerian family felt consistently left in the dark through the trial.

"I waited every day for news, but nothing was new," BoudjemaΓ’ said.

From the offset, they had felt sidelined β€” they say even the news of Khadidja's death took 10 days to reach them.

BoudjemaΓ’ says she was contacted by Khadidja's friends on social media, and had to relay the news to her mother.

(Ingolstadt state prosecutor's office disputes this, saying files show that the family in Algeria was informed of the murder.)

doppelganger murder
Khadidja O.'s mother, Bouch Cherifa, sits in her home in Oran, Algeria.

Mohamed Mira

The mother, Bouch, told BI last July that she felt German authorities had done little to help her. She said they gave an email address which turned out to be incorrect.

Frustrated by the lack of information, Bouch, who is disabled after a brain hemorrhage several years ago, went on a fact-finding mission to Germany herself but learned little.

Veronika Grieser of the Ingolstadt state prosecutor's office characterized the lack of communication as a misunderstanding in statements to BI at the time.

She said the state prosecutor's office generally seeks to provide information on significant developments in a trial when relatives inquire.

"We very much regret that the victim's mother feels inadequately informed by the authorities," she said. "Of course, the victim's relatives have a right to information about the status of the proceedings and, of course, about the dates of the main hearing."

This week, the state prosecutor's office said that nobody from the Algerian family had contacted their office.

Schlappa of Ingolstadt's regional court told BI in an email that the outcome of the proceedings had been shared in a press release and appeared to suggest that the Algerian family was excluded due to their lack of legal representation.

"The victim's father was a co-plaintiff in the main hearing and was represented by a lawyer appointed by the court," he said. "To what extent the father has or had contact with any relatives in Algeria is not known here."

Once news of the sentencing reached Algeria, BoudjemaΓ’'s reaction to the sentencing was conflicted.

"I don't know if there is justice," she said. "My sister is dead, she is gone, and she will not return."

Read the original article on Business Insider

North Korea's learning valuable lessons from fighting Ukraine, US warns

Putin and Kim in front of a Z symbol
 A file photo showing Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

Vladimir SMIRNOV / POOL / AFP

  • North Korea is learning combat lessons fighting Ukraine, a US official said.
  • It means the authoritarian state is more of a threat to its neighbors.
  • North Korea has dispatched around 12,000 troops to fight for Russia.

North Korea is learning valuable lessons from fighting against Ukraine, making it an increased threat to its neighbors, a US official said.

In recent months, North Korea has sent around 12,000 troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine as part of a new security pact between its leader, Kim Jong Un, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The fighting has been concentrated in the Kursk region of Russia, where Ukraine has seized and held swaths of territory.

In exchange, North Korea is receiving economic and diplomatic backing from Russia, as well as valuable military technology.

Dorothy Camille Shea, the deputy US ambassador to the UN, discussed the arrangement at the UN Security Council, Reuters reported.

North Korea "is significantly benefiting from receiving Russian military equipment, technology and experience, rendering it more capable of waging war against its neighbors," she said.

"In turn, the DPRK will likely be eager to leverage these improvements to promote weapons sales and military training contracts globally," she said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

After brokering its alliance with Russia, North Korea has taken a defiant posture and on Monday tested a ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead.

The test came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited South Korea. The timing seemed intended to showcase North Korea's capacity to overcome the defenses of the US and its regional allies.

South Korea has watched North Korea's involvement in the Ukraine war with growing concern. It said last year it could provide Ukraine with intensified support in response to the alliance with Russia.

The UN has long sought to constrain North Korea's military program, specifically its ability to deploy nuclear weapons, by imposing severe sanctions.

But Russia has used its place on the UN Security Council to stymie a committee formed to enforce them.

On Wednesday, Russia's UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, argued that North Korea's new missile tests were a defensive measure in response to military exercises by the US and its regional allies.

Under President Joe Biden, the US reaffirmed its commitment to help defend east Asian regional allies, including South Korea and Japan.

President-elect Donald Trump has suggested he may take a more transactional approach to broker a deal with Kim, a path he pursued in his first term.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Hundreds of California prisoners are fighting the LA fires, with some earning little more than $1 an hour

An inmate firefighter uses a drip torch as the Park Fire burns on August 7, 2024 in Mill Creek, California.
An inmate firefighter during a previous fire in Mill Creek, California, in August 2024.

Ethan Swope/Getty Images

  • Hundreds of prisoners are helping to battle the wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
  • Incarcerated firefighters earn $26.90 to $34 for each 24-hour shift.
  • It's far below California's minimum wage of $16.50 an hour.

Hundreds of Californian prisoners have been deployed to help battle the fires raging across the Los Angeles area, with some working 24-hour shifts for as little as $26.90, or just over $1 an hour.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told The Guardian that it had deployed 395 incarcerated individuals to help battle the blazes.

The firefighters, who have "minimum custody" status, have been embedded with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which has deployed thousands of firefighters to the area.

The CDCR, jointly with Cal Fire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, runs 35 "fire camps" across 25 California counties. Participation is voluntary, with inmates using hand tools to aid in fire suppression and other emergency responses.

The camps are considered minimum-security facilities.

California, which is grappling with longer and more destructive fire seasons amid the climate crisis, has long relied on incarcerated people for its response. In fact, the CDCR crews have, at times, accounted for as much as 30% of the state's wildfire force.

According to the CDCR, fire crew members earn between $5.80 and $10.24 a day, depending on their skill level, with an additional $1 per hour for active emergency assignments.

Crews can work 24-hour shifts during emergencies, followed by 24 hours of rest, it said, with the lowest-skilled firefighters earning $26.90 and the highest-skilled maxing out at about $34.

For context, California's minimum wage is $16.50 per hour, with some areas, such as West Hollywood, offering higher minimum wages.

In California, inmates are not guaranteed the state's minimum wage, and some earn as little as 16 cents per hour.

The $10.24 basic rate for the highest-skilled incarcerated firefighters ranks among the best daily rate for incarcerated people in the state.

In addition to pay, fire crews helping out during emergencies like this receive "time credits" on a two-for-one basis, meaning that for each day they serve on the crew, they receive two additional days off their sentence.

Participation can also lead to criminal record expungement and the ability to seek professional emergency response certifications.

The CDCR did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Ukraine said one of its F-16 pilots achieved a feat nobody flying the jet has managed before

A Ukrainian pilot abroad a F-16 fighter jet
Ukraine said one of its F-16 pilots took out six Russian cruise missiles in one flight in December 2024.

Facebook/@Air Force Command of UA Armed Forces

  • A Ukrainian F-16 pilot may have pulled off a feat no one flying the jet has achieved before.
  • Ukraine's Air Force Command said the pilots took out six Russian cruise missiles in a single flight.
  • Colonel Yuriy Ihnat said it was the first time this had been recorded in the jet's history.

Ukraine said one of its F-16 pilots achieved a feat nobody flying the jet has managed before.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Ukraine's Air Force Command said a pilot flying an F-16 took out six Russian cruise missiles during a single flight, using air-to-air missiles and an aircraft cannon.

This occurred during a "mass" missile and drone attack in December, it said.

On December 13, Russia fired almost 200 drones, Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles, and 94 cruise missiles at Ukraine.

The pilot's main target was the cruise missiles, according to the post.

He used all four air-to-air missiles on board the F-16, two of which were short-range, forcing the jet to fly closer to the missiles β€” an "extremely dangerous" task, it said.

The pilot then struck two other missiles flying close to each other using an air cannon.

Business Insider was not able to verify the report.

Intercepting "such important targets is not an easy task for a pilot, but who, if not Ukrainian pilots, has the most experience in the world of winged missiles?" Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, head of the Ukrainian Air Force Command's public relations service, said.

Since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has frequently launched large missile attacks on Ukraine, aimed at overwhelming Ukraine's air defense systems and hitting targets behind the front lines.

The pilot, who had recently undergone retraining for F-16s in the US, said in the post that Ukrainian F-16 pilots had never used an aviation cannon to shoot down targets.

However, he said he applied the lessons he learned in the US.

"I must have set a record that day," he said, adding, "I am convinced that this experience will be useful to colleagues."

Colonel Ihnat described it as the first-ever documented case.

He said that "based on objective control, we have one hundred percent confirmation that for the first time in history in anti-air combat, an American fighter F-16 shoots down six winged missiles."

Read the original article on Business Insider

A senior Assad aide said a 'trick' by Putin contributed to Syria's collapse

Assad and Putin
Bashar Assad and Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Moscow in 2021.

Mikhail KLIMENTYEV / SPUTNIK / AFP

  • A former aide to Bashar Assad discussed the recent collapse of the Syrian government.
  • He pointed to a "trick" by Russia's Vladimir Putin in an interview with Saudi media.
  • Russia was unwilling to come to Assad's rescue as rebels advanced.

A former aide to Syria's deposed President Bashar Assad described how he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin contributed to the country's collapse.

Speaking to Al Arabiya, a news outlet owned by the government of Saudi Arabia, Kamel Saqr said Putin stalled on a high-stakes effort to broker military help to Assad's forces.

That, he said, left them too weak to repel the rebels who ultimately overthrew Assad in December.

Assad had long relied on support from Russia and also from Iran to maintain power through Syria's long civil war.

Per Saqr's telling, both allies looked the other way as collapse loomed.

Assad was in Moscow as rebels seized control of Syria's second-biggest city, Aleppo, on November 29.

Saqr said in the interview that, during the trip, Assad asked Putin to help transport weapons from Iran via a Russian-occupied base in Syria.

"Bashar al-Assad's request to Putin was for him to personally handle the secure aerial transportation necessary to deliver military aid to support or stop the advance of the Syrian opposition," Saqr said.

His description of behind-the-scenes events could not be verified by Business Insider.

According to Saqr, Putin agreed to the request for arms to be transported using Russia's Hmeimim airbase in Syria.

"But what happened," he said, "was that the Iranians told Bashar al-Assad, 'we did not receive any signals to proceed with moving Iranian aircraft to the Hmeimim base [or to] fly through Iraqi airspace to land at the base.'"

"The question was relayed to Moscow, but no answer came."

The Al Arabiya interviewer asked whether the failed maneuver was down to a "trick" by Putin, and replied that there was "no other explanation."

The Kremlin at the time would not confirm reports Assad was in Moscow as rebels advanced. Saqr told Al Arabiya that he started to believe something was off after the Kremlin refused to release a joint press statement after the leaders met.

Russia and Iran were Assad's two chief international allies, but as rebels began driving back government forces in a lightning advance, neither stepped up to help.

Analysts say that Russia was too distracted by its invasion of Ukraine to offer significant support. Iran and its ally Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based militia, were both badly weakened in their clashes with Israel.

As rebels advanced on the capital, Damascus, Russia flew Assad and his family out of the country, providing them refuge in Moscow.

Saqr, in the interview, said Assad had waited several hours on December 8 at Russia's Hmeimim base for his flight out, ending the Assad family's five decades in power.

"My information suggests that he stayed at the base for several hours until the plane was secured, prepared, and its takeoff and flight to Moscow were ensured," Saqr said.

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Ukraine says it has a new type of river drone to spy on and take out Russian boats

Hard Cat's Black Widow 2 river drone.
Hard Cat's Black Widow 2 river drone.

Courtesy of Hard Cat

  • Ukraine says it's designed a new type of river drone to target Russian vessels.
  • The Black Widow 2 is also able to perform reconnaissance operations, it said.
  • Ukraine's military requested it to combat Russian forces and supply runs on the Dnipro River.

Ukraine says it has developed a new type of drone to target Russian vessels deployed on Ukrainian rivers.

Hard Cat, a Kyiv-based drone manufacturer, told Business Insider that the uncrewed river drone, the Black Widow 2, can take out surface targets, including small boats.

It can also carry out reconnaissance and patrolling operations, providing real-time situational awareness, it said, with a maximum speed of almost 25 miles an hour and a communication range of up to 6.2 miles.

And unlike sea drones, which operate in wider bodies of water, the one-meter-long drone's "compact size and high maneuverability allow it to operate effectively" in narrow waterways and river areas.

Hard Cat's Black Widow 2 river drone.
Hard Cat told BI the Black Widow 2 river drone has been successfully tested in rear-area conditions.

Courtesy of Hard Cat

Drones have been a hallmark of the war in Ukraine, with both sides using them to attack, surveil, and target more accurately.

Ukraine has heavily targeted Russia's fleet in the Black Sea using sea drones, with notable effect.

Hard Cat unveiled the river drone's prototype at the Defense Tech Valley investment summit in Kyiv in October 2024.

It told BI the drone has now been successfully tested in rear-area conditions and is undergoing combat trials with two Ukrainian army brigades. It didn't say where those trials were taking place.

"Warfare on water is quite specific and comes with unique challenges, making such a small water drone potentially very useful," it added.

One of the developers, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, told BI that they began work on the drone in December 2023, at the request of the Ukrainian military, as a way to counter Russian motorboats used for personnel rotation, supply runs, and reconnaissance.

At the time, Ukrainian troops were fighting to hold out on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, against Russian forces that vastly outnumbered them.

John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told BI that he expects Ukraine to use these new systems primarily on the Dnipro.

"They would probably be most useful in a defensive role, such as striking small vessels carrying Russian assault troops or supplies," he said, rather than working in conjunction with larger, longer-range naval drones to attack Russian ships in the Black Sea.

Basil Germond, an expert in international security at Lancaster University in the UK, made a similar assessment.

"It is important to understand that Russia not only operates big warships and submarines but also a wide array of small boats that support land operations at the tactical level, especially in the wet areas such as the Dnipro Estuary and other rivers," he said.

Germond added: "River drones are likely to contribute to operations against these sorts of assets."

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Countries are tracking Russia's shadow fleet using AI after suspected attacks on undersea cables

Russian shadow fleet ship
Finnish Coast Guard near the oil tanker Eagle S in December 2024.

Jussi Nukari / Lehtikuva / AFP

  • A UK-led coalition is using AI to track Russia's shadow fleet, the British Ministry of Defence said.
  • The operation, involving 10 countries, comes after damage to major undersea cables in the Baltic.
  • Finland said evidence suggests a Russia-linked ship dragged its anchor to sever the cables.

A UK-led coalition of European countries has deployed AI to track Russia's shadow fleet and detect possible threats to underwater cables, after suspected sabotage incidents in recent months.

On Monday, the UK's Ministry of Defence said that the Joint Expeditionary Force's operation, dubbed Nordic Warden, has been using AI to evaluate data from several sources, including the Automatic Identification System, which ships use to share their real-time locations.

In the event of a potential threat, it said the system would monitor the suspect vessel in real time and issue a warning, which will be communicated to both NATO allies and participating countries.

The UK's Defense Secretary John Healey said AI would allow them to monitor "large" sea areas using a "comparatively" small number of resources.

"Nordic Warden will help protect against both deliberate acts of sabotage as well as cases of extreme negligence which we have seen cause damage to underwater cable," Healey added.

The UK MOD didn't respond to a request for comment, but in its news release said that there were 22 areas of interest, including parts of the English Channel, the North Sea, the Kattegat Sea, and the Baltic Sea.

It said the operation's launch came after reported damage to a major undersea cable in the Baltic.

Over the past two months, several undersea cables in the Baltic Sea have been damaged, including the BCS East-West Interlink cable, the C-Lion1 telecommunications cable linking Finland and Germany, and the Estlink 2 electricity cable connecting Estonia and Finland.

Last week, Finnish officials said they found a 60-mile trail on the seabed that suggested the Eagle S β€” a Russia-linked tanker β€” could have been responsible for slicing a cluster of valuable data and power cables.

Edward Hunter Christie, a senior research fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and a former NATO official, told BI that AI will help NATO identify suspicious ships among the vast majority of legitimate commercial activity in the region.

Neither Russia's shadow fleet nor any other country for that matter, "even the Chinese," can afford to lose ship after ship trying to damage cables, he said, pointing to Finland's seizure of a Russian-linked vessel last week.

"Russia needs its shadow fleet," he added, "that's how it earns its oil export revenues."

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Iran is weaker than it's been for decades as it prepares for Trump to take office again

Iranian consulate Damascus
The Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, after being ransacked by rebels in December 2024.

LOUAI BESHARA / AFP

  • Iran's military power and influence has been badly weakened in recent months.
  • Clashes with Israel and the fall of Bashar Assad in Syria have left it reeling.
  • Yet Iran retains the ability to hurt the US and its allies.

Last May, Iran's then-president took a victory lap during the first visit by an Iranian leader to Syria since 2010.

Ebrahim Raisi praised key ally Bashar Assad for his "victory," having beaten back rebel forces with Iranian and Russian help, and for defying sanctions to hold on to power.

Less than a year later, the picture looks much grimmer for Iran's foreign influence, not just in Syria but across the wider region.

Assad was deposed after a lightning campaign by rebels in December, and Western officials on Tuesday told The Wall Street Journal that Syria had withdrawn most of its troops from the country that was once at the heart of its strategy to project power across the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Syria's most powerful regional proxies, the Hamas militia in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, have also been decimated in their clashes with Israel in the wake of the October 7, 2023, terror attacks.

Israel also inflicted serious damage on Iran's air defenses in strikes last October.

As a result, President-elect Donald Trump looks set to face off against an Iran, a longtime US adversary, that's weaker than it's been in decades.

A weaker Iran

"Iran has had a number of setbacks in the last year," Jon Alterman, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, told BI.

"Its network of regional proxies is in shambles, with its most important β€” Hezbollah β€” the hardest hit. The billions of dollars that Iran invested in Syria over several decades went up in smoke," he added.

In fact, "it is hard to point to a single trend that has been moving in their direction for months," Alterman said.

The destroyed Hezbollah headquarters in Lebanon.
In September 2024, Israel destroyed Hezbollah's base in Beirut and assassinated its leader.

Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images

For decades, Iran has pursued its core goals of damaging US influence, challenging Saudi Arabian power, and encircling Israel by building a network of militias and allies across the region.

These groups, which also include the Houthi militia in Yemen and Shia militias in Iraq, were dubbed by Iran the "Axis of Resistance."

But across the region, they're on the back foot in the wake of attacks by Israel and its allies. Most recently, Israel and the US have struck Houthi targets in Yemen.

"Instead of surrounding Israel, Tehran probably feels surrounded by countries hostile to it," Mathew Burrows, Counselor in the Executive Office at the Stimson Center, Washington, DC, told BI.

"Iran's containment strategy against Israel is in tatters," he added.

Troubles at home

Domestically, things are not much better.

Iran's economy has been crippled by punishing international sanctions, not least those imposed by Trump in his first term in office as part of his "maximum pressure" campaign.

Sanctions were linked to Iran's decision to turn off energy supplies across vast swaths of the country in December.

The value of Iran's currency, the Riyal, has also plunged, and inflation is running at 30%.

Meanwhile, on the diplomatic front, Iran faces a host of issues.

Its most powerful international allies, Russia and China, are unable or unwilling to help, said Stefan Wolff, a professor of international security at Birmingham University in the UK.

"Russia has a much-diminished stature in the region now," he said.

Russia was considered a key backer of Assad, but stretched by its war in Ukraine, it seemed unable to help, beyond flying him and his family out of the country.

China, though it's playing a more assertive role in the Middle East, also appears unwilling to get directly embroiled in Iran's conflicts.

"Over a relatively short period, Iran's losses have been substantial," Burcu Ozcelik, a senior research fellow for Middle East Security at London's RUSI think tank, told BI.

And now it has to contend with a new Trump administration.

Trump Iran
Iranian women at a ceremony marking the death of Qassem Soleimani in Tehran in January 2022.

NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The return of Trump

Trump imposed waves of sanctions on Iran during his first term in office.

He also ordered the assassination of Iranian military commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in 2020, and under the Abraham Accords sought to normalize ties between Israel and Gulf Arab states.

In his second term, Trump could seek to tighten his maximum pressure strategy by undermining Iranian influence in Iraq, where it controls a network of militias.

"With Hamas and Hezbollah downgraded, and the Houthi movement in Yemen under pressure, it makes sense that next in line will be Iraq," said Ozcelik.

"This could empower Iraqi institutions and sovereignty in the face of exponentially expanding Iranian influence," she added.

But while Iran may be down, it's far from out.

Its allies, including the Houthi and Hezbollah, though weakened, will likely rebuild. Iran may also seek to stoke conflict to destabilize the new government in Syria, and it continues to have a sophisticated military and intelligence apparatus.

And, according to analysts, it retains the capacity to develop the most dangerous weapons of all β€” a nuclear bomb.

After the Obama administration's nuclear deal was abandoned by Trump, Iran quietly began gearing up its nuclear program again, and some experts believe it could develop enough material for a weapon in a matter of months.

"Some analysts think Iran's weakness will push it to accelerate efforts to develop a nuclear weapon to compensate, or at least to threaten doing so to improve Iran's leverage in negotiations," said Alterman.

"The only real weapon in the short term is the nuclear one," said Burrows.

A major challenge for Trump will be figuring out how to stop it getting one.

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2 bodies found in landing gear compartment of JetBlue plane in Florida

JetBlue Airbus A320-200 passenger aircraft
The JetBlue Airbus A320 (not pictured) landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Monday night.

Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

  • Two bodies were discovered in the landing gear of a JetBlue plane on Monday, the airline said.
  • The bodies were found during a routine inspection after the plane landed in Florida.
  • The plane had flown from New York's JFK Airport to Fort Lauderdale.

Two people were found dead on Monday night in a JetBlue plane during a routine inspection of the aircraft at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

In a statement provided to media outlets, JetBlue said the bodies were discovered in the aircraft's landing gear compartment.

The airline said the aircraft had recently operated Flight 1801 from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Fort Lauderdale.

Flight-tracking data from FlightAware shows that the Airbus A320 landed in Florida on Monday at 11:10 p.m.

A Broward County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said homicide and crime scene units responded to a call at 11:30 p.m. on Monday night. Paramedics pronounced both individuals deceased at the scene, the sheriff's office said.

"The circumstances surrounding how they accessed the aircraft remain under investigation," JetBlue said. "This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred."

It's not clear if authorities know the identity of the individuals.

Broward County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Carey Codd told BI the Medical Examiner's Office will perform autopsies to determine the cause of death of both individuals.

Arlene Satchell, a spokesperson for the Broward County Aviation Department, told BI by email there were "no impacts" to the airport's operations due to the incident.

Stowaways sometimes try to hide in an airplane's wheel wells, which house the landing gear.

They risk being crushed when the landing gear is contracted. When the plane reaches cruising altitude, stowaways can lose consciousness because of low oxygen levels or face hypothermia.

The Federal Aviation Administration previously told USA Today that about three-quarters of such attempts were fatal.

Monday's incident comes two weeks after a body was discovered in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane on Christmas Eve. The Boeing 787 had flown from Chicago to Hawaii.

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Trump Jr. is heading for Greenland, shortly after his father said the US should take over the island

Donald Trump Jr., son of President-Elect Donald Trump attends the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024
Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of President-Elect Donald Trump, is visiting Greenland this week.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

  • Donald Trump Jr. is visiting Greenland, a territory his father said the US should take over.
  • President-elect Trump recently resurfaced a first-term idea of his to buy the Arctic island.
  • Greenland and Denmark have strongly rebuffed the idea.

Donald Trump Jr. is heading to Greenland shortly after his father renewed remarks that the US should take over the Danish territory.

President-Elect Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday that his eldest son and "various representatives" would be traveling to the Arctic island to "visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights."

Trump added that "the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation."

The post was accompanied by a video featuring someone, seemingly from Greenland, wearing a MAGA hat and saying that the country doesn't want to be "colonized" by Denmark anymore.

Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a US ally and NATO member.

A private visit

In a statement provided to Business Insider, Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged Trump Jr.'s trip but said it had no further comment as it was not an "official American visit."

During his first term in office, Trump proposed that the US buy Greenland, which the country's then-Prime Minister, Kim Kielsen, firmly rejected, saying, "Greenland is not for sale and cannot be sold."

In recent weeks, as he gears up for his second term, Trump has once again revisited the idea of buying the massive island, which is replete with natural resources.

On December 23, he said in a Truth Social post that ownership and control of Greenland is an "absolute necessity" for the US.

He made the comments in a post announcing his choice for US Ambassador to Denmark, soon after he threatened to take over the Panama Canal.

Reuters, citing a source familiar with the upcoming trip, said Trump Jr. will not be meeting Greenlandic politicians and is instead traveling to the country to record video footage for a podcast.

Representatives for Trump Jr. did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Nuuk in Greenland
Greenland, the world's largest island, is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

Jessie Brinkman Evans/Getty Images

Elon Musk, who is expected to help guide Trump's second term, has also weighed in, posting on X that "the people of Greenland should decide their future and I think they want to be part of America!"

While Greenland residents hold Danish citizenship, the government manages local affairs.

In response to President-Elect Trump's post in December, Greenland's Prime Minister, MΓΊte B. Egede, said, "Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our struggle for freedom."

In a recent speech, Egede expressed hopes that the territory would pursue independence from Denmark.

Hours after Trump's December post, the Danish government announced a huge boost in defense spending for Greenland. On Monday, King Frederik of Denmark updated the royal coat of arms to more prominently feature Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Trump, who will take office on January 20, has also referred to Canada as the "51st state."

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Taiwan believes China is behind damage to one of its crucial undersea cables

Taiwan
A beach anti-attack barrier in Kinmen, Taiwan.

Carl Court/Getty Images

  • Taiwan said it believes China was behind damage to one of its undersea cables.
  • It said a Cameron-flagged vessel damaged a cable in the Taiwan Strait.
  • It comes after similar incidents involving cables in the Baltic Sea were also linked to sabotage.

Taiwan suspects China of being behind damage to a crucial subsea communications cable just off its northern coast.

The damage occurred on Friday near Keelung, according to The Taipei Times, with Taiwanese coast guard officials believing a Cameroon-flagged vessel, the Shunxin 39, was responsible.

Despite being Cameroon-flagged, the ship is reportedly owned by a Hong Kong firm.

According to reports, the Taiwanese coast guard ordered the vessel to stop so it could be investigated, but because of rough weather conditions officials were unable to board the tanker, which continued on to its destination in South Korea.

"This is another case of a very worrying global trend of sabotage against subsea cables," a senior Taiwanese national security official told The Financial Times.

Marco Ho Cheng-hui, CEO of Taiwanese civil defense organization Kuma Academy, told The Taipei Times that China was testing the limits of international tolerance through escalating "grey zone" attacks, or covert attacks to undermine its security.

"This is not an isolated event," he said.

As an island, Taiwan is highly vulnerable to subsea cable disruptions, and analysts have warned that it's a weakness China could target as tensions escalate further.

The cable damaged Friday was the $500 million Trans-Pacific Express cable linking Taiwan and other parts of East Asia with the US West Coast, according to reports. The cables run for thousands of miles under the sea.

Chunghwa Telecom, one of the companies that operates the cable, said that the damage didn't cause major disruptions as it was able to divert data.

The incident is the latest possible attack on underwater cables.

In the Baltic Sea, there's been a series of mysterious cable severances in recent months, which European officials said could have been caused by Russian sabotage.

On Christmas Day, energy and telecoms cables were severed near Finland, with Finnish officials saying a tanker likely used by Russia to evade oil sanctions was responsible.

A Chinese vessel, NewNew Polar Bear, was also linked by European officials to damage to subsea cables in the Baltic in November.

Analysts told Business Insider last year that China and Russia see undersea cables as potential targets amid growing tensions with the US and its allies.

China has long menaced Taiwan, and the US has signaled that it could help Taiwan defend itself if it was attacked.

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