A required part of this site couldn’t load. This may be due to a browser
extension, network issues, or browser settings. Please check your
connection, disable any ad blockers, or try using a different browser.
Challenging Client
Kurdish-led forces depart camp for IS families, sparking new truce in Syria
AFPSyria’s government has announced a new ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), after the militia alliance withdrew from a camp holding thousands of people with alleged links to the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
The SDF said its forces were “compelled” to leave al-Hol camp and redeploy to other cities in north-east Syria “due to the international indifference toward the issue of [IS]”.
Syria’s interior ministry complained that it took place without co-ordination with the government or US-led coalition against IS.
Later, the presidency said it had reached an “understanding” with the SDF on the future of Hassakeh province, which has a large Kurdish population.
A statement said the SDF would be given four days to carry out consultations on a detailed plan for the peaceful integration of areas under its control into the state.
The presidency also promised that government forces would not enter the cities of Hassakeh and Qamishli, or any Kurdish villages.
At the same time, the SDF declared its “full commitment to the ceasefire” and said its forces would not initiate any military action unless they were attacked.
The SDF also said it was ready to “move forward with implementing” the deal reached with the government on Sunday that was supposed to end almost two weeks of fighting.
The agreement should see the Kurdish-run autonomous region in the country’s north-east and its key infrastructure brought under government control, as well as the integration of the tens of thousands of SDF fighters into the defence and interior ministries’ forces.
It represents a major blow for the SDF, which had been reluctant to give up the autonomy that it won for Syria’s Kurdish minority when helping US-led coalition forces defeat IS militarily during the country’s 13-year civil war.
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has vowed to reunify Syria since he led the rebel offensive that overthrew Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, but the country remains deeply divided and has been rocked by waves of deadly sectarian violence.
The SDF announced its withdrawal from al-Hol camp as Syrian army and interior ministry forces advanced deep into Hassakeh province after taking control of Deir al-Zour and Raqqa.
“Due to the international indifference toward the issue of the IS terrorist organisation and the failure of the international community to assume its responsibilities in addressing this serious matter, our forces were compelled to withdraw from al-Hol camp and redeploy in the vicinity of cities in northern Syria that are facing increasing risks and threats,” it said.
In a statement sent to Kurdish news agency Hawar, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi urged the US-led coalition – once his main ally – to “bear its responsibilities in protecting facilities”.
“We withdrew to predominantly Kurdish areas and protecting them is a red line,” he added.
The Syrian interior ministry said the SDF units had pulled out of al-Hol without any co-ordination in an “attempt to pressure the government over the fight against terrorism”.
The ministry added that it was “taking all necessary measures in co-ordination and co-operation with the international coalition to maintain security and stability”.
The defence ministry also said it was ready to assume control of the camp as well as all prisons holding suspected IS fighters in the region.
EPABefore the fighting with the government erupted earlier this month, the SDF was holding about 8,000 suspected IS fighters at prisons in north-eastern Syria.
Around 34,000 people linked to IS were also being detained at al-Hol and another camp, Roj, the UN reported last August. The population of the camps, of which 60% were children, comprised 6,700 Iraqis, 15,500 Syrians and 8,500 citizens of other countries, including the UK.
The SDF, US and UN have long called for the repatriation of the foreign IS suspects and their families from north-eastern Syria, citing the political instability and dire conditions in the prisons and camps, but many countries have refused to take them.
Earlier, the government and SDF traded accusations over the escape of suspected IS fighters from an SDF-run prison in Shaddadi, in southern Hassakeh province.
The interior ministry said on Monday night that its special forces and army soldiers had entered the town following “the escape of around 120 [IS] terrorists” from the prison. Search operations by the security forces resulted in the arrest of 81 of the fugitives, it added.
The SDF said it had lost control of Shaddadi prison in the afternoon after “Damascus-affiliated factions” mounted a series of attacks and killed of dozens of its fighters, who it said had been attempting to “prevent a serious security catastrophe”.
SDF spokesman Farhad Shami said around 1,500 IS members had escaped during the clashes, according to Reuters news agency.
ReutersThe SDF also accused government forces of attacking al-Aqtan prison, north of the city of Raqqa, which is holding IS members and leaders.
On Tuesday, a statement said the prison’s buildings and facilities had been shelled and its water supply cut off. “These practices constitute a blatant violation of humanitarian standards and pose a serious threat to the lives of the detainees,” it warned.
However, the defence ministry denied that there had been clashes in the vicinity of the prison.
It said the facility was “fully secured”, with military police and internal security forces deployed around the facility and in contact with the administration to ensure supplies were provided.
The US, which was once the SDF’s main ally in Syria, was monitoring developments in Syria with “grave concern”, a White House official said.
“We urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid actions that could further escalate tensions, and prioritize the protection of civilians across all minority groups,” they added.
Special envoy Tom Barrack meanwhile explained that the rationale for the US-SDF partnership had “largely expired”, and that his country was currently focused on ensuring the security of facilities holding IS prisoners and facilitating talks between the SDF and President Sharaa’s government on implementation of the ceasefire deal.
“This moment offers a pathway to full integration into a unified Syrian state with citizenship rights, cultural protections, and political participation – long denied under Bashar al-Assad’s regime,” he wrote on X.
After signing the deal with the SDF on Sunday, Sharaa said he hoped it would allow Syria to “end its state of division and move to a state of unity and progress”. However, Abdi said the fighting had been “imposed on us” and that he had accepted the deal “to stop the bloodshed”.
Exicure HiTron Inc generates $3.3 million in revenue from the sale of Exicure (XCUR) stock
Exicure HiTron Inc sells $3.3m in Exicure (XCUR) stock
Aurora Borealis Illuminates the Skies of the U.K. and Europe
new video loaded: Northern Lights Shine Over U.K. and Europe
One of the largest solar radiation storms in decades produced an aurora borealis that illuminated rare hues like red and purple over Britain and parts of continental Europe.
By Axel Boada
January 20, 2026
Billionaire Marc Andreessen Dedicates Nearly a Full Day Each Week to Listening to Podcasts and Audiobooks
If you want to think like a billionaire, you might want to stop scrolling on TikTok and pick up a book. For venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, it’s not just a habit—it’s how he makes sense of the world and continually reshapes his thinking about business.
“I’ve always been like this, I’m reading basically every spare minute that I have,” Andreessen told the How I Write podcast in 2023.
The billionaire previously carved out two hours of reading time on most weekdays, according to a detailed version of his weekly schedule he published in 2020. However, with the business world only becoming more pressurized, he’s ramped up his knowledge intake—something made possible from “the single biggest technological leap” in his life: AirPods.
Andreessen now spends two to three hours a day glued to audiobooks—typically alternating between histories, biographies, and material in new subject areas like artificial intelligence. Collectively, his practice amounts to nearly an entire 24-hour day dedicated to learning, each week.
Research suggests that listeners retain roughly the same amount of information from audiobooks as they do from reading text, making Andreessen’s shift in format less a compromise than an optimization.
“If nothing else is going on,” Andreessen added. “I’m always listening to something.”
Andreessen didn’t respond to Fortune’s request for further comment.
Mark Cuban and Bill Gates agree: reading will drive you to success
Andreessen’s approach is far from unusual among the ultra-wealthy. Reading ranks as the most commonly cited behavior tied to long-term success, according to a JPMorgan report that surveyed more than 100 billionaires with a combined net worth exceeding $500 billion.
Bill Gates, for example, has long championed reading—often finishing 50 books a year and releasing annual lists to encourage others to do the same.
“Reading fuels a sense of curiosity about the world, which I think helped drive me forward in my career and in the work that I do now with my foundation,” he told TIME in 2017.
Former Shark Tank star Mark Cuban has similarly cited reading as a critical habit that helped set him apart—and put him on the billionaire path.
“I read more than three hours almost every day,” Cuban wrote on his blog in 2011.
“Everything I read was public,” the now 67-year-old added. “Anyone could buy the same books and magazines. The same information was available to anyone who wanted it. Turns out most people didn’t want it.”
Reading, as a whole, remains a cornerstone of nuanced thinking and communication—skills that are increasingly critical for business leaders, according to Brooke Vuckovic, a professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
“Reading long-form fiction, biography, and history demands focused attention, tolerance with ambiguity and unanswered questions or unrevealed nuance in characters and situations, and a willingness to have our preconceptions upended,” Vuckovic previously told Fortune. “All of these qualities are requirements of strong leadership [and] they are in increasingly short supply.”
Al Jazeera reports on the destruction caused by wildfires in southern Chile
Wildfires in Chile have wiped out entire towns, killing at least 20 people. Tens of thousands of others have been forced from their homes. Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman has been seeing the damage in one of the worst hit areas.
Published On 20 Jan 2026
Reuters reports that Universal Music Group is poised to receive approval from the EU to acquire Downtown Music.
Reuters reports that Universal Music Group is set to receive conditional approval from the European Commission for its proposed $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings.
The report on Tuesday (January 20) follows UMG’s December offer to divest Downtown’s Curve royalty accounting business to address the EC’s competition concerns about the transaction.
The news agency, citing people with ‘direct knowledge’ of the matter, reported that the EU antitrust watchdog has not demanded further concessions.
UMG declined to comment on today’s Reuters report.
The European Commission has until February 27, 2026, to reach a final decision on the proposed acquisition.
UMG’s Virgin Music Group announced the Downtown acquisition in December 2024.
The deal would see Universal acquire Downtown’s subsidiaries, including FUGA music distribution, CD Baby, and Songtrust publishing administration, while selling off Curve as a standalone business to an independent buyer.
The European Commission opened an in-depth Phase II investigation into the proposed acquisition in July 2025, following an initial 25-day Phase I review.
The regulator cited preliminary concerns that the transaction could allow UMG to reduce competition in the wholesale distribution market for recorded music in the European Economic Area by acquiring commercially sensitive data from rival record labels.
In November, the EC issued a Statement of Objections to UMG, formally escalating its investigation.
The Commission said it was concerned that UMG could gain access to commercially sensitive data stored and processed by Downtown’s Curve platform, and that such an information advantage would hamper rival labels’ ability to compete with Universal.
UMG submitted formal commitments to the EC on December 11, outlining a plan to sell Curve Royalty Systems as a standalone business to an independent buyer approved by the Commission.
A document outlining the remedies package, seen by MBW, committed UMG to divesting the entire Curve business, including all employees (except two retained engineers), customer contracts, and the Curve Platform software and related assets.
The divestiture aimed to address the EC’s primary competition concern about the transaction. In November, when the Commission issued its Statement of Objections, it said it was “concerned that UMG may have the ability and incentive to gain access to commercially sensitive data that is stored and processed by Downtown’s Curve.”
UMG told MBW in a statement last month that it had submitted “a robust remedy” to the EC to address its “only remaining concern”.
“Following constructive conversations with the European Commission, we have submitted a robust remedy that comprehensively addresses the Commission’s only remaining concern,” the company added.
“This deal is about offering independent music entrepreneurs access to world-class tools and support to help them succeed. We are confident that the Commission will recognize the benefits of the transaction for artists, labels, independent music, and fans in Europe, and clear the transaction swiftly.”
At the conclusion of a Phase II investigation, the Commission can clear the merger with or without conditions, or prohibit it entirely if competition concerns cannot be adequately addressed.
The deal has attracted fierce opposition from independent music organizations.
In July, over 200 people signed a letter objecting to the acquisition, including 20 employees from Beggars Group and Secretly Group companies, while a “100 Voices” campaign launched in October featuring testimonies from indie reps urged the EC to block the deal.
In December, IMPALA issued a statement in response to the news on Friday that the EC had extended the deadline to February 27, following UMG’s remedy proposal. IMPALA said that it is “repeating its calls on the regulator to prohibit the deal outright”Music Business Worldwide
UN compound in East Jerusalem demolished, BBC reports
Israeli demolition teams have begun to tear down the headquarters of the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency, known as Unrwa, in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel says it owns the land on which the compound stands and has accused Unrwa of being infiltrated by Hamas.
Unrwa says its premises are protected under international conventions and, while it admits that nine Unrwa staff may have been involved in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks, it says Israel hasn’t proven anything more extensive than that.
The BBC’s John Sudworth reports from the site.
The Valuable Lessons Learned from Swimmer Injuries
Courtesy: Larry Reines
In swimming, time away from the pool doesn’t feel like time paused.
It feels like time stolen from you.
I didn’t fully understand that until I watched my son Joshua live it.
At what should have been a critical point in his age-group progression, Joshua had shoulder surgery. Then another. Torn labrums. Both shoulders. One after the other. What we were told would be a temporary interruption turned into 14 months out of the water without any meaningful training.
In a sport where improvement is measured in weeks—and sometimes tenths—that kind of absence changes everything.
There were no interval sets taped to the wall. No conversations about taper. No meet calendars planned months in advance. Instead, there were physical therapy appointments, resistance bands scattered around the house, and long stretches where progress wasn’t obvious to anyone, including him.
Some days, the hardest part wasn’t rehab; it was the pool he couldn’t enter.
Eventually, the question came up. Not dramatically. Not in a single conversation. Just quietly; Who am I if I’m not swimming?
Joshua didn’t answer that question quickly. And he didn’t answer it out loud.
At first, there was loss. Then frustration. Then a kind of silence. Not sadness exactly—more like detachment.
Swimming had always provided feedback. You swim. The clock answers. Take the clock away, and the noise shows up somewhere else.
What I noticed as a parent was that, slowly, swimming stopped being the only organizing force in his life. Without times to chase, he had to decide whether the work itself still mattered.
And it did.
Not because of cuts or rankings, but because of what the sport demanded when no one was watching: discipline, accountability, patience, and of course, he said, “I love swimming.”
Swimming stopped defining him by default and became something he chose, again.
He chose that swimming would be part of his life—not the sum of it. That distinction mattered. It gave him room to recover without panic and return without trying to make up for lost time. When he finally came back to the water, it wasn’t to reclaim an identity he’d lost—it was to continue the journey.
The Part of Injury No One Talks About
Physical recovery is easy to measure. Strength comes back. Stability improves. Range of motion increases.
Mental recovery doesn’t show up on a spreadsheet.
Joshua didn’t just lose conditioning. He lost rhythm. He lost momentum. Friends kept racing and cuts were made without him in the water. Seasons passed.
One thing that mattered more than most people realize was that he wasn’t alone.
His brother, a swimmer of comparable caliber, was there the entire time. Not just cheering from the deck, but training, pushing forward, and also waiting. Injury isolates athletes. Brotherhood counteracts that isolation in a way no program or pep talk ever could.
Joshua’s comeback didn’t begin when he swam his first race back.
It began 18 months ago, when he committed to recovery without knowing what the outcome would be.
The Long Way Back
Getting back in the water wasn’t inspiring. It was awkward.
Before he swam a single lap, there were bands. Every day. Bands before you get into the water. Rotator cuff work. Slow, deliberate movements. No shortcuts. Swim came after preparation. It became a rule, not a suggestion.
The swims were short. Intensity was controlled. Pain wasn’t sharp, but it was always there—just enough to demand respect. Every practice required restraint, especially on the days he felt good. Those were often the hardest days to manage.
Progress came slowly. Then stalled. Then came back again.
There was no breakthrough practice. No moment where everything suddenly clicked.
Just showing up. Day after day. Month after month.
Stroke for Stroke
This weekend, Joshua raced the 400 IM.
It wasn’t the A final. It was the B final—earned, competitive, honest. He was seeded next to his brother. In the second 50 of the butterfly leg—the part of the race where effort starts to show—his brother was there. In sync, stroke for stroke. Setting the rhythm. Leading the way.
Nothing needed to be said.
Joshua missed the Summer Junior National cut by .84 seconds.
On paper, that’s a miss.
In context, it’s a marker of how far he’s come.
Because 18 months earlier, he wasn’t chasing cuts. He was chasing the ability to train consistently. He was racing doubt, frustration, and the quiet fear that too much time had passed.
The New Reality of Recovery
There’s something injured athletes eventually learn that doesn’t get talked about enough: recovery doesn’t end. Joshua’s orthopedist—who spent years working with an NBA team—was direct about it. There wasn’t a single practice or game when he walked into the locker room where players weren’t icing, taping, or doing some form of remediation. Not because they were injured, but because staying healthy at a high level requires constant maintenance.
The ice pack and the heating pad are part of Joshua’s routine now. And it always will be.
This reframed what “healthy” actually means.
Not pain-free but prepared.
What Injury Really Builds
Swimming doesn’t reward shortcuts, it rewards the people who put in the time.
Injury doesn’t help build grit in big moments. It builds it quietly—in rehab rooms, empty lanes, and races most people won’t notice.
Joshua isn’t defined by missing a cut by .84 seconds.
He’s defined by refusing to let injury decide the end of his story.
And that lesson—learned slowly, without guarantees—will last longer than any medal ever could.
ABOUT LARRY REINES
Larry Reines is a parent of a competitive swimmer and a former swimmer. He shares this story not as a professional writer, but as a parent hoping to give voice to an experience many families in the sport don’t want to face—but often do. Larry is also the CEO of Floafers, though this piece is written solely from the perspective of a parent.
Kickstarter features IdeaSpark Revolver S Titanium Screwdriver
If you work on cars, furniture, or electronics often, it helps to have a good set of screwdrivers handy. The Revolver S from EDC upstart IdeaSpark fits six driver bits into a rugged little titanium body to make it easy to carry these wherever you go, with a precise ratchet mechanism to boot.
Around the size of a C battery at 1.69 inches in length (43 mm) and 1.22 inches in diameter (31 mm), it resembles the chamber or cylinder of a revolver. Undo the top, and you’ll find six standard 1/4-inch bits securely held in place by magnets: PH1, SL4, SL6, T20H, T8H, and H3. These screw into the top of the Revolver S when it’s time to go to work. An included extension helps you deal with screws that are a little hard to reach.
IdeaSpark
What’s neat about this screwdriver top is that it drive screws forward or in reverse with a quick adjustment – without requiring you to change your grip. The Revolver S’ ratchet mechanism promises mechanical feedback as you turn it, which is useful when you need to be precise.
The bits are made from strong S2 tool steel. The cylinder, meanwhile, is made from grade 5 titanium, so you can expect it to resist corrosion and wear and tear. It’s also designed to be comfortable to grip and use.
The Revolver S – Compact Titanium Ratchet Screwdriver
The Revolver S is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter, where you can find it at a discounted US$79 – down from its expected suggested retail price of $129. That includes the driver and the set of six bits. You can tack on a 20-piece bit set, as well as 10-piece titanium plated bit set and a leather carrying case.
All crowdfunding campaigns carry an element of risk, so you’ll want to keep that in mind if you choose to back this campaign. This is IdeaSpark’s first campaign, but the brand’s already crossed its funding goal with more than 160 backers on board.
IdeaSpark
If all goes to plan, orders are slated to ship worldwide in June 2026, with free delivery wherever you are.
Source: Kickstarter
Note: New Atlas may earn commission from purchases made via links.