Ecuador used to be one of Latin America's most peaceful nations

The Oakland Athletics have been a disgrace to Major League Baseball this season, sitting at 10-38 ahead of their four-game series with the Seattle Mariners, who have also been disappointing so far in 2023.A season removed from an ALDS appearance, the Mariners are in fourth place in the AL West w...

The team investigating Donald Trump led by special counsel Jack Smith has indicated their ongoing attention is on a 2020 Oval Office meeting during the last days of his administration, it has been reported. According to CNN, investigators have questioned multiple witnesses about the bizarre Oval Office meeting which involved former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne. The investigation has been ongoing for several months. Nearly a month after Donald Trump was arraigned on the 38-count federal indictment that he and his longtime aide Walt Nauta are facing for allegedly unlawfully retaining national defence information and obstructing justice, the ex-president’s co-defendant has pleaded not guilty to charges of having assisted Mr Trump in concealing classified documents from the government. Mr Nauta, a retired Navy chief petty officer who served as Mr Trump’s White House valet before following him to Florida after the end of the Trump administration, is on his own charged with a single count of making a false statement to federal investigators. Surveillance footage from the Mar-a-Lago estate, allegedly showed that dozens of boxes were moved in the days before investigators from the Department of Justice visited to retrieve records. Read More Special counsel zeroing in on ‘unhinged’ Oval Office meeting when Trump hosted conspiracy theorists – report DeSantis campaign video crossed a line for gay right-wing pundits despite governor’s record on LGBT+ rights Turnout spiked among younger voters in the last three elections. This is what’s needed for that to be repeated in 2024 Prosecutors knew Trump was hiding more documents thanks to Mar-a-Lago CCTV tapes

Some of the UK’s most visited websites face enforcement action from the data protection watchdog if they do not make changes to allow users to consent to advertising cookies. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said some websites do not give users fair choices over whether or not they are tracked for personalised advertising. The ICO has previously issued guidance to help ensure firms make it as easy for users to reject advertising cookies as it is to accept all – often using consent banners which pop up when a user first lands on a website – but the watchdog has said that some of the UK’s top websites are not complying with data protection law on this issue. Many of the biggest websites have got this right. We’re giving companies who haven’t managed that yet a clear choice: make the changes now, or face the consequences Stephen Almond, ICO It said it had written to a number of firms giving them 30 days to comply or face potential enforcement action. Under UK data protection law, companies must give users fair choice to opt out of tracking using cookies, which is often then used to serve people personalised adverts online. Companies are still able to show users adverts when someone has rejected all tracking, but the ads must not be tailored to the person browsing. Stephen Almond, ICO executive director of regulatory risk, said: “We’ve all been surprised to see adverts online that seem designed specifically for us – an ad for a hotel when you’ve just booked a flight abroad, for instance. Our research shows that many people are concerned about companies using their personal information to target them with ads without their consent. “Gambling addicts may be targeted with betting offers based on their browsing record, women may be targeted with distressing baby adverts shortly after miscarriage and someone exploring their sexuality may be presented with ads that disclose their sexual orientation. “Many of the biggest websites have got this right. We’re giving companies who haven’t managed that yet a clear choice: make the changes now, or face the consequences.” The ICO said it would provide a further update on this work in January, including details of any companies that had not addressed the watchdog’s concerns. Read More Employee data leaked during British Library cyber attack Half of adults who chat online with strangers do not check age – poll Businesses embracing generative AI but fear cyberattacks, survey finds

Ajax defender Jurrien Timber has been spotted arriving at Wembley for Saturday's FA Cup final between Manchester United and Manchester City. Timber has been linked with a move to the Red Devils.

Kepa Arrizabalaga hopes to make his loan move to Real Madrid permanent. The Spain international joined the LaLiga side on a season-long loan from Chelsea on Monday after number one Thibaut Courtois was ruled out for the majority of the season with an ACL injury. Kepa, 28, hopes to make an impression at the Bernabeu and extend his stay. “Will I stay after the loan? Hopefully,” Kepa said at his Real Madrid unveiling on Tuesday as reported by Marca. “Today is the first day of my loan. We have time, we’ll see. Hopefully with my performance I can make that happen.” Kepa joined the Blues in a £71.6million switch from Athletic Bilbao in August 2018 and has made 168 appearances for the club. Carlo Ancelotti’s side began their LaLiga campaign with a 2-0 win over Bilbao on Sunday, with Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin between the sticks. “This is one of the most important and special days of my sporting career and of my life,” Kepa told the club website. “I’m very proud to be at Real Madrid. I’ll never be short of hard work, commitment and effort with this jersey both in training and in matches. “I hope that we can further add to Madrid’s trophy cabinet and enrich the club’s legend. Hala Madrid!” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Outdoor exploration app AllTrails has been named the iPhone app of the year in Apple’s annual App Store awards. Make-up sketchpad app Pret-a-Makeup was named the iPad app of the year, with image editor Photomator awarded the Mac app of the year, indie film streaming app Mubi picked up the Apple TV app award, and fitness app SmartGym was named the top Apple Watch App. Each of the 14 winners named in the awards was chosen by the App Store’s editorial team and alongside the best apps and games, five cultural impact winners were also highlighted. These included Too Good To Go, a food waste minimising app which alerts users when shops and restaurants have surplus unsold food available at lower prices. Accessibility app Proloquo was also named among the cultural impact winners – the app offers communication tools for non-verbal people. In gaming, Honkai: Star Rail was named iPhone game of the year, with Lost in Play chosen as the best iPad game, Lies of P was named Mac game of the year and Hello Kitty Island Adventure was the Apple Arcade game of the year. “It’s inspiring to see the ways developers continue to build incredible apps and games that are redefining the world around us,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said. “This year’s winners represent the limitless potential of developers to bring their visions to life, creating apps and games with remarkable ingenuity, exceptional quality, and purpose-driven missions.” Read More Young people the biggest users of generative AI, Ofcom study shows Software firm Cloudsmith announces £8.8m investment UK and South Korea issue warning over North Korea-linked cyber attacks

Sandwiches have become increasingly elaborate creations: pillows of golden focaccia dripping with sumptuous pulled meats, tahini dressings, and spice-crusted roast veg. And yet, back in the day, you were lucky if you got a smear of margarine on yesterday’s white bread with a hunk of pink, pockmarked SPAM slammed unceremoniously in between. Ah yes, SPAM, there’s a reason why it became the butt of a Monty Python sketch and is now most commonly associated with the most annoying type of email correspondence. It’s unsexy, ultimately unhealthy and, at one point, was utterly unavoidable. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, as we’ve established, food standards have somewhat evolved since WWII rationing so SPAM doesn’t get as much of a look-in at lunchtime these days. Still, most of us have at least heard of it even if we’ve never actually tried it. Monty Python - Spam youtu.be But now, people have suddenly realised that they don’t actually know what the acronym of its name stands for. Plenty of people have their own theories, though, which they’ve publicly shared on Twitter. “What does SPAM stand for? Salty Piece A' Meat?” one asked. “I often conjectured that 'Spam' was an acronym for 'Spoiled Ham',” wrote another. Another nodded to an old joke made by retired stand-up comedian Bill Endgvall: “I finally figured out what spam stands for – stuff posing as meat.” While another suggested it actually connotes “scientifically processed animal matter”. To clarify, SPAM itself is processed meat made of a pork and ham mixture, salt, sugar, potato starch, water, and sodium nitrite. The meat is ground and combined with the other ingredients before it is transferred to its signature rectangular can, vacuum-sealed, and cooked inside, the Encyclopedia Britannica notes. And despite the plethora of alternative suggestions, the name is, in fact, a portmanteau for spiced ham. It was coined in 1937 by its creator, New York actor Ken Daigneau, whose brother was an executive at the manufacturer Hormel Foods. According to Britannica, Daigneau later confessed that he’d come up with the name before he’d even conceived of the product, thinking it was memorable. Well, he sure hit the money on that one. SPAM continues to be loved by millions of households across the world, with more than 10 varieties of meat available on the market. Indeed, in Hawaii where it is perhaps best loved by consumers, it is enjoyed in a number of unique ways, including as an alternative to raw fish or egg in a sushi-style dish called musubi. And sure, we love our kimchi cauliflower milk rolls and slow-cooked lamb flatbreads but, credit where it’s due, SPAM has proven that it's the truly simple things that often stand the test of time. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The opposition leader had been disqualified in March after being convicted in a criminal defamation case.

Rube Franke, a 41-year-old mother-of-six was charged after her 12-year-old son was found with open wounds and duct tape on his limbs

Russia halted the Black Sea grain deal, heightening uncertainty over global food supplies by closing a crucial export

Here are the three biggest changes in TFT Patch 12.6b.