Pope Leo to travel to Turkiye, Lebanon on first foreign trip
NewsFeed Pope Leo XIV spoke about his upcoming first foreign trip as pontiff, a day before he is set to depart to Turkiye and Lebanon “to visit the beloved peoples of those countries rich in history and spirituality”. Published On 26 Nov 202526 Nov 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
US ranchers whiplashed by Trump’s beef policies
It has been a whiplash-inducing month for the American rancher, one of United States President Donald Trump’s most steadfast voting blocs. Starting with an October 19 quip from Trump that the US would increase beef imports from Argentina to the ensuing rancher backlash against the announcement of an investigation into the hyperconsolidated US meatpacking industry and the dropping of tariffs on Brazilian beef, ranchers have found themselves caught between the president’s desires to appease both them and the American consumer in the face of high beef prices. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list US ranchers have enjoyed rising cattle prices, largely the result of the lowest herd numbers for beef cattle since the 1950s. Other factors constricting supply include the closure of the Mexican border to live cattle due to concerns over screwworm and steep tariffs on foreign beef. Cattle prices paid to ranchers are separate from consumer beef prices, which, as of September, were $6.32 for a pound (453 grams) of ground beef, an 11 percent rise from September 2024 when they were $5.67 a pound. The Bureau of Labor Statistics did not release economic data, including the consumer price index for last month, because of the government shutdown. Trump had no patience for the typically loyal ranchers objecting to his plan to import more Argentinian beef, which they saw as a threat to their recent economic gains. “If it weren’t for me, they would be doing just as they’ve done for the past 20 years – Terrible! It would be nice if they would understand that,” Trump wrote in an October post on his Truth Social platform. Advertisement While Corbitt Wall, a commercial cattle manager and market analyst, is clear that he “totally supports Trump and everything he does”, he also saw hubris and a misunderstanding of the cattle industry by the president. “There was not a person in the cattle business on any level that was not insulted by that post,” he told Al Jazeera. Wall religiously follows prices across the cattle trade from ranch to slaughterhouse and has watched the futures market for cattle slide down by more than 15 percent since Trump’s October 21 announcement. Futures prices dictate what ranchers can expect to sell cattle for down the line and sway current sale prices as well. For ranchers’ sake, Wall said he hopes Trump leaves the cattle market alone. “He doesn’t live in this world, in this cattle world, and doesn’t realise the impact that a statement can make in our business,” Wall said. Years of rough seasons Oregon rancher David Packham said that while cattle prices have jumped in ranchers’ favour, many are still struggling in the face of years of rough seasons. Years of drought across the country raised feed costs for all and pushed some ranchers to sell off cattle. Sticker prices on farm equipment from tractors to pick-up trucks have ballooned as well, especially on the back of supply chain challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are expected to rise further on account of Trump’s tariffs. Packham said he has regularly sold cattle at a loss and doesn’t want consumers to think ranchers are living high off the hog. “I’m looking at a 40-year-old tractor that I use on a daily basis just to keep putting off replacing it, making repairs, although it’s difficult to find parts for now, just to keep it limping along because I couldn’t afford $100,000 for a new tractor,” Packham said. “When I say we’re not really making a whole lot of money, it’s because we have all this loss carryover.” Cattle are sold at Nevada Livestock Marketing in Fallon, Nevada [Courtesy of Corbitt Wall] Packham was a registered Republican until Trump’s first term. The president’s Argentina comments and the subsequent chaos for the cattle industry have propped open a door for ranchers critical of Trump, but they represent a minority within the community, he said. “I’m noticing more and more of them [ranchers] that had been cautiously neutral, that are now kind of like me and just saying, ‘You know what? No. This is bulls***. He’s a train wreck,’” Packham said. ‘Perennial issue’ One action ranchers can support, however, is Trump’s November 7 announcement of a Department of Justice investigation into the big four US meatpackers – Tyson, JBS, Cargill and National Beef – “for potential collusion, price fixing and price manipulation”. Advertisement Historically, ranchers looking to sell cattle have held little negotiating power as the four companies control more than 80 percent of the market. However, a prior Department of Justice investigation into meatpacker price-fixing was started under the first Trump administration in 2020 due to a gulf created by falling cattle prices and rising consumer beef prices. The investigation continued under President Joe Biden’s administration but was never publicly concluded. According to Bloomberg News, the investigation was quietly closed with no findings just weeks before Trump announced the November antitrust probe. James MacDonald, a research professor in agricultural and resource economics at the University of Maryland, views the administration’s antitrust investigation announcement as “entirely for political consumption”. “It is a perennial issue that p***es off ranchers, and you can gain some political ground by attacking the packers,” MacDonald said. Packham would prefer the new investigation to come at a different time and said that given the squeeze from the tight cattle market, packers are operating under slimmer margins and not from a position of absolute power. On Friday, Tyson announced the closure of a Nebraska beef-processing plant that employed more than 3,000 people. MacDonald called the decision a “shock” indicative of the depths of the US beef shortage. The current low cattle inventory in the US came from years of drought, which wiped out grazing lands and slowed herd rebuilding. Replenishing the cattle supply chain is a years-long process. “That’s sort of a fact and a fundamental, and it’s not going to change for a while,” MacDonald said. MacDonald also doesn’t believe the increased Argentina imports will ease this shortage
Georgia judge drops election interference case against Trump
BREAKINGBREAKING, Judge Scott McAfee in the southern state of Georgia rules that the case against Trump ‘is hereby dismissed in its entirety’. Published On 26 Nov 202526 Nov 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share A Georgia prosecutor has dropped pending charges against Donald Trump over allegations of 2020 election interference by the United States president and his allies. Judge Scott McAfee granted the request to terminate the prosecution on Wednesday, putting an end to the last set of criminal charges against Trump. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “This case is hereby dismissed in its entirety,” McAfee wrote. Trump faced four indictments in 2024, while he was out of office. Only one of the cases, in New York, proceeded to a trial. He was found guilty of falsifying business records in relation to a hush money payment to an adult film actress and sentenced to “unconditional discharge”, escaping any penalty like fines, probation or jail time. Two sets of federal charges against him — one over allegations of election meddling and another containing accusations of mishandling secret government documents — were dropped after Trump was re-elected president in November of last year. The prosecution in the Georgia case had already faced a setback when Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from the case for having a romantic relationship with one of her top deputies. The case in Georgia centred on a call by Trump with the state’s top election official Brad Raffensperger after the 2020 vote in which he said he wants to “find 11,780 votes” to overturn the election. Trump had rejected the victory of his would-be successor, former President Joe Biden, falsely alleging that widespread voter fraud was behind the results. Advertisement In 2023, Willis charged Trump and 16 of his allies who challenged the election result in the state with racketeering and a string of crimes related to the vote. The US president – who made a stunning come back to the White House earlier this year – has always denied any wrongdoing in the cases against him, calling them a politically motivated “witch hunt”. This is a breaking news story. More details to come… Adblock test (Why?)
Mumbai AQI at 184: Air pollution chokes Maximum City; is BMC looking to implement GRAP-4 measures?
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Mumbai on Wednesday(as of 10 am) recorded an AQI of 157 at Bandra Kurla Complex, 230 at Borivali East, 182 at Byculla, 202 at Chakla-Andheri East, 162 at Chembur, 141 at Ghatkopar, 276 at Mazgaon, 178 at Kandivali, and 223 at Malad West.
FRESH controversy for Kunal Kamra: Comedian’s T-shirt mocking RSS goes viral, BJP warns of..
Fresh controversy has erupted between comedian Kunal Kamra and BJP, after he shared a photo on social media wearing a T-shirt that allegedly mocked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Goddess Kali’s idol vandalised, dressed as Mother Mary in Mumbai’s Chembur; arrested priest makes shocking claims, says ‘appeared in dream and instructed…’
A priest at a temple in Mumbai’s Chembur was arrested after Kali Devi’s idol was vandalized and dressed as Mother Mary. Devotees were left shocked when they arrived for darshan and found goddess Kali idol resembling Mother Mary.
Africa’s Ash: Threat to Indian lungs and jet engines
Ethiopia’s ancient volcano erupted unexpectedly, sending ash clouds across thousands of miles to India. While floating safely high above, it disrupted flights and reminded us how connected our world truly is.
Delhi Blast BIG UPDATE: Who is Soyab? Haryana man arrested by NIA, here’s how he is related to mastermind Umar Un Nabi
In a fresh lead to the deadly car blast near Red Fort in Delhi, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Faridabad resident for allegedly sheltering the bomber, Umar Un Nabi, shortly before the terror act on November 10.
Caught on cam: 16-year-old boy Basketball player dies in court after pole collapse, falls on his chest
In a tragic incident from Haryana’s Rohtak has shocked the nation. A 16-year-old national-level basketball player died after an iron pole fell on his chest during practice.
GRAP III restrictions revoked, what’s allowed in Delhi-NCR? Check details
The Commission for Air Quality Management, India’s air quality panel, has officially revoked the restrictions under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR on Wednesday. However, restrictions which are part of the first and second stage of GRAP will be strengthened in Delhi.