The world’s largest music streaming service, Spotify, has been reportedly scraped by a group. Claims have surfaced suggesting that a huge amount of data linked to music streaming platform Spotify has been scraped and shared on the internet. According to a blog post from Anna’s Archive, which typically focuses on books and papers, have claimed that the project is part of its mission of "preserving humanity’s knowledge and culture" and described the Spotify scrape as an effort to "build a music archive primarily aimed at preservation." Claims emerge of massive data leak According to the claims, almost Spotify’s entire music catalogue has been archived and is being distributed through torrent files and the reported data size is said to be around 300 terabytes (TB), making it one of the largest alleged data scrapes involving a music streaming service. Read blog post here What has been allegedly leaked The claims come from Anna’s Archive, a group previously known for backing up books and research papers. In a blog post, the group said it had archived metadata for 256 million tracks and audio files for 86 million songs. According to the group, this collection covers about 99.6 per cent of all listening activity on Spotify. Anna’s Archive described the project as an effort to create the world’s first large-scale "music preservation archive". The metadata has already been released publicly, while the audio files are being shared gradually through torrents, starting with the most popular songs. Audio files were sourced directly from Spotify? Anna’s Archive claimed that most of the audio files were sourced directly from Spotify. Popular tracks are reportedly stored in their original 160 kbps format, while less popular songs have been re-encoded at lower quality to save storage space. The group also said that songs released after July 2025 may be missing from the archive. While the full metadata is currently available, the release of music files is happening in phases, based on song popularity. Spotify Responds Spotify has reportedly responded to a news reports. However an official public statement from Spotify was awaited. In a comment to a publication, Spotify said that it was actively investigating the incident. The company has not yet confirmed whether there has been a breach of its systems or how the data may have been accessed.
22 December,2025 09:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA Russian general was killed Monday morning after an explosive device detonated underneath his car in Moscow, and investigators said Ukraine could be behind the attack, the third such killing of a senior military officer in a year. Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces' General Staff, died from his injuries, said Svetlana Petrenko, the spokesperson for Russia's Investigative Committee, the nation's top criminal investigation agency. "Investigators are pursuing numerous lines of enquiry regarding the murder. One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services," Petrenko said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin had been immediately informed about Sarvarov's killing. The Defense Ministry said that Sarvarov had previously fought in Chechnya and taken part in Moscow's military campaign in Syria. Just over a year ago, on Dec. 17, 2024, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the chief of the military's nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces, was killed by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter outside his apartment building. Kirillov's assistant also died. Ukraine's security service claimed responsibility for the attack. An Uzbek man was quickly arrested and charged with killing Kirillov on behalf of the Ukrainian security service. Russian President Vladimir Putin described Kirillov's killing as a "major blunder" by Russia's security agencies, noting they should learn from it and improve their efficiency. But in April, another senior Russian military officer, Lt Gen Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff, was killed by an explosive device placed in his car parked near to his apartment building just outside Moscow. A suspected perpetrator was quickly arrested. Moscow also has blamed Ukraine for several bombings and other attacks in Russia. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 December,2025 07:36 PM IST | moscow | APBangladesh Police has said they have no "specific information" on the whereabouts of the prime suspect in the killing of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. The remarks came a day after Hadi's Inqilab Mancha party on Saturday issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the interim government, demanding "visible progress" in the arrest of those responsible for his killing. Addressing an emergency press conference at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday, Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khandaker Rafiqul Islam said law enforcement agencies are actively trying to locate Faisal Karim Masud, identified as the gunman in the shooting, the UNB news agency reported. "We do not have specific information about Faisal's last location. Our forces and intelligence agencies are working to obtain it", he said, adding that there was no reliable information suggesting the suspect had left the country. The IGP cautioned that criminals often spread rumours about their whereabouts. Islam also said no concrete evidence has yet emerged linking any political party to the murder. "However, efforts are underway to gather accurate data", he said. Detective Branch (DB) chief Shafiqul Islam said prima facie, the murder appeared to be politically motivated, as there did not seem to be any personal motive. However, he said, "We are examining all possible angles". Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections. The 32-year-old Inqilab Mancha spokesperson was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen at an election campaign in central Dhaka's Bijoynagar area. He died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on Thursday. His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram on Thursday. Hadi was laid to rest on Saturday amid tight security beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University mosque. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 December,2025 11:57 AM IST | Dhaka [Bangladesh] | PTIA passenger bus crash killed at least 16 people on Indonesia's main island of Java just after midnight Monday, officials said. The bus carrying 34 people lost control on a toll road and struck a concrete barrier before rolling onto its side, said Budiono, a search and rescue agency chief who goes by single name like many Indonesians. The inter-province bus was traveling from the capital Jakarta to the country's ancient royal city of Yogyakarta when it overturned while entering a curved exit ramp at the Krapyak toll way in Central Java's Semarang city, he said. "The forceful impact threw several passengers and left them trapped against the bus body", Budiono said. Police and rescue teams arrived about 40 minutes after the accident and recovered the bodies of six passengers who died at the scene. Another 10 people died on the way to a hospital or while being treated, Budiono said. The 18 victims being treated at two nearby hospitals included five people in critical condition and 13 in serious condition, he said. Television news reports showed the yellow bus overturned on its side and surrounded by National Search and Rescue Agency personnel, police and passersby as ambulances transported victims and the dead away from the accident scene. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 December,2025 10:41 AM IST | Jakarta [Indonesia] | APFrance will build a new aircraft carrier with a capacity for 30 fighter jets and 2,000 sailors, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday in what he described as "the display of our nation's power in the service of freedom on the seas and amid the turbulence of our times," reported news agency Associated Press. "In an age of predators, we must be strong in order to be feared, and especially strong at sea. This is why, in line with the last two military programming laws, and after a thorough and careful review, I have decided to equip France with a new aircraft carrier. The decision to launch the construction of this very large-scale program was taken this week," Macron told French troops stationed in Abu Dhabi, reported Associated Press. New aircraft carrier to be ready in 2038 The new vessel is planned to be ready in 2038, replacing the ageing Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, which came into service in 2001. It will have a displacement of about 78,000 tons and a length of 310 meters (1,017 feet), compared to 42,000 tons and 261 meters (856 feet) for the Charles de Gaulle. The new carrier would still be smaller than the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier, the largest warship in the world, which has a displacement of more than 100,000 tons and measures 1,100 feet (334 metres). Like its predecessor, France's new aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered and equipped with French Rafale M fighter jets. Macron said the project will benefit hundreds of suppliers, most of them small- and medium-sized businesses, reported Associated Press. "I will personally guarantee this commitment in support of our companies, and I will visit the shipyard next February to meet them," he said. The new carrier will be able to engage in heavily armed, long-range deployments at short notice, repeatedly and for extended periods of time, the French defence ministry said on its website. In 2023, the cost of a new aircraft carrier was estimated at about 10 billion euros (USD 11.7 billion) by Sébastien Lecornu, defence minister at the time and now French prime minister. Macron has announced 6.5 billion euros (USD 7.6 billion) in extra military spending in the next two years. He said France will aim to spend 64 billion euros on defence in 2027, the last year of his second term, double the level of 32 billion euros when he became president in 2017. France's military currently comprises around 200,000 active personnel and over 40,000 reservists, making it the second-largest in the European Union, just behind Poland. France wants to increase the number of reservists to 80,000 by 2030. (With inputs from Associated Press)
22 December,2025 10:28 AM IST | Paris | mid-day online correspondentAt least 16 files released in the batch of Jeffrey Epstein documents by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) appear to have been removed from the website, as of Sunday morning (local time), CNN reported. CNN had reported on Saturday that one of the files removed included a photograph of US President Donald Trump. Among other files that appear to have been removed, the majority depicted explicit artwork, showed mail slots filled with envelopes, a tiled hallway, and a notebook page with names and apartment numbers. Earlier on Saturday, the Department of Justice clarified that the recently released Jeffrey Epstein-related documents are being redacted solely to protect victims, and no politicians' names are being withheld. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, "The only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law -- full stop. Consistent with the statute and applicable laws, we are not redacting the names of individuals or politicians unless they are a victim." "The Justice Department is not redacting the names of any politicians. As Todd Blanche made clear: 'The only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law -- full stop. Consistent with the statute and applicable laws, we are not redacting the names of individuals or politicians unless they are a victim'," the US Department of Justice wrote on X. The release follows federal judges' approval to unseal grand jury materials in cases against Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, allowing the DOJ to publish the highly anticipated records, CNN reported. US President Donald Trump's name is rarely mentioned in the batch of Epstein files, based on a preliminary New York Times scan of thousands of documents and hundreds of photographs. Trump and Financier Jeffrey Epstein were close friends for years, The Times has reported, and Trump's initial refusal to release federal files related to investigations into Epstein sparked speculation about whether those files featured Trump. His allies have previously confirmed that his name appears in the files about Epstein. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
22 December,2025 08:38 AM IST | Washington | ANIA White House envoy said Sunday he held 'productive and constructive' talks in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives to end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine. Posting on social media, Steve Witkoff said the talks aimed at aligning on a shared strategic approach between Ukraine, the United States and Europe. 'Our shared priority is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and create conditions for Ukraine's recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity. Peace must be not only a cessation of hostilities, but also a dignified foundation for a stable future," US President Donald Trump's envoy said. The talks are part of the Trump administration's monthslong push for peace. Trump has unleashed an extensive diplomatic push to end the war, but his efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv. Putin has recently signalled he is digging in on his maximalist demands on Ukraine, as Moscow's troops inch forward on the battlefield despite huge losses. Positive assessments Witkoff's assessment comes as negotiations have been proceeding with Russia as well. A Kremlin envoy said Saturday that the talks were pressing on 'constructively' in Florida. 'The discussions are proceeding constructively. They began earlier and will continue today, and will also continue tomorrow,' Kirill Dmitriev told reporters in Miami on Saturday. There were no immediate updates on the talks with Russia on Sunday. Dmitriev met with Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. For Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram Sunday that diplomatic efforts were 'moving forward quite quickly, and our team in Florida has been working with the American side.' The Kremlin denied Sunday that trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the US were under discussion, after Zelenskyy said Saturday that Washington had proposed the idea of three-way discussions. 'At present, no one has seriously discussed this initiative, and to my knowledge it is not being prepared,' Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said, according to Russian state news agencies. Ukrainian civilians moved to Russia In Ukraine, the country's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets on Sunday accused Russian forces of forcibly removing about 50 Ukrainian civilians from the Ukrainian Sumy border region to Russian territory. Writing on Telegram, he said that Russian forces illegally detained the residents in the village of Hrabovske on Thursday, before moving them to Russia on Saturday. Lubinets said he contacted Russia's human rights commissioner, requesting information on the civilians' whereabouts and conditions, and demanding their immediate return to Ukraine. Possible French-Russian talks The French presidency on Sunday welcomed Putin's willingness to speak with President Emmanuel Macron, saying it would decide how to proceed 'in the coming days.' 'As soon as the prospect of a ceasefire and peace negotiations becomes clearer, it becomes useful again to speak with Putin,' Macron's office said in a statement. 'It is welcome that the Kremlin publicly agrees to this approach.' The statement came after reports that Putin was open to holding talks with the French president if there was mutual political will. European Union leaders agreed on Friday to provide 90 billion euros ($106 billion) to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, although they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds. Instead, they were borrowed from capital markets. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
22 December,2025 08:34 AM IST | Miami | APIndian H-1B visa holders who travelled back this month to renew their American work permits are stranded amid their appointments being abruptly rescheduled by US consular offices, the Washington Post reported, citing three immigration lawyers. The Indian high-skilled workers had appointments cancelled between December 15 and 26, the lawyers said, a period coinciding with the US holiday season. In emails viewed by The Washington Post, the State Department told visa holders their interviews were being delayed after the implementation of the Trump administration's new social media vetting policy, "to ensure that no applicants... pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety." The United States has expanded its review of social media and online presence to cover all H-1B speciality occupation workers and their H-4 dependents, the US Embassy in India said on December 10. In a statement, a US Embassy spokesperson explained that the Department of State already conducts online presence checks for student and exchange visitor visa categories such as F, M, and J. Starting December 15, this review also included H-1B and H-4 applicants. Emily Neumann, a partner at the Houston-based immigration firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, said she had at least 100 clients stranded in India. Veena Vijay Ananth, an immigration attorney in India, and Charles Kuck, who practices immigration law in Atlanta, said they each had a dozen such cases. "This is the biggest mess we have seen. I'm not sure there is a plan," said Ananth. A spokesperson for the State Department said, "While in the past the emphasis may have been on processing cases quickly and reducing wait times, our embassies and consulates around the world, including in India, are now prioritising thoroughly vetting each visa case above all else." According to an April 2025 report from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), India accounts for 71 per cent of visa holders. In July, the State Department announced that H-1B holders, and their dependents on H4 visas, would not be able to renew their documents in a third country as of September 2 and on September 19, Trump signed a proclamation imposing a USD 100,000 fee on new H-1B applications, the Washington Post reported. The Washington Post reported that an Indian man living in the Detroit suburbs said he flew back to India in early December for a wedding and had consular appointments scheduled for December 17 and 23, which have now expired. The Houston-based attorney, Neumann, asked, "How long are companies going to be willing to wait for these people?" This comes after the proclamation issued by US President Donald Trump on September 19, ordering a USD 100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications. According to the US State Department, current visa holders and petitions submitted before that date remain unaffected. Under the proclamation, a USD 100,000 fee must accompany every new H-1B visa petition filed after the deadline, including those submitted for entry into the 2026 lottery. The new fee requirement applies only to individuals or companies filing new H-1B petitions or entering the H-1B lottery after September 21. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
22 December,2025 08:30 AM IST | New Delhi | ANIUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russia launched 1,300 attack drones, about 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and nine missiles over the past week against Ukraine, amid the ongoing war between the two nations. Highlighting assistance from several countries, President Zelenskyy, in a post on X, said that the European Council has allocated Euros 90 billion for 2026-27, along with assistance packages from Norway and Japan, and a maritime drone agreement with Portugal. "Over the past week, Russia has launched approximately 1,300 attack drones, nearly 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and nine missiles of various types against Ukraine. The Odesa region and our south were hit particularly hard. Our services continue their work to restore normal life in the regions. We are countering this Russian terror at multiple levels," the Ukrainian President wrote on X. "This week brought an important decision on a financial security guarantee for Ukraine - the allocation by the European Council of EUR90 billion for 2026-2027 - along with substantial assistance packages from Norway and Japan, and an agreement with Portugal on the joint production of maritime drones," the post added. A Russian attack on the Odesa region on Friday night left eight people dead and injured 27, according to Ukrainian authorities, as reported by CNN. According to Ukraine's State Emergency Service, Russia struck the region with a missile at a port infrastructure facility in the town of Pivdenne. Over the past week, Russia has launched approximately 1,300 attack drones, nearly 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and 9 missiles of various types against Ukraine. Odesa region and our south were hit particularly hard. Our services continue their work to restore normal life in the… pic.twitter.com/oKsQDOUjD2 — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 21, 2025 The CNN reported that Russia has targeted Odesa with continuous attacks over the past nine days, resulting in a power outage in the city and surrounding areas. Zelenskyy added that the negotiating teams from Ukraine and the United States are working to end the war. "Negotiating teams from Ukraine and the United States continue their work on pathways to end this war with a dignified peace. And our long-range sanctions against Russia are also working as required. The aggressor must understand that war brings no dividends and always returns to where it came from. I thank everyone who is helping Ukraine. We must strengthen our state's defence capabilities so that diplomacy has a real chance to end the bloodshed," the X post stated. Meanwhile, Special Envoy of the Russian President and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, stated that the discussions on a settlement for a peace deal in Ukraine currently underway in Miami are being held constructively, noting that talks, which started on Friday, will continue through Sunday (local time), TASS reported. The negotiations were held between Russia and the United States as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Washington to increase pressure on Moscow. The meeting included Dmitriev, US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as reported by TASS. Speaking to reporters following the meeting on Saturday, Dmitriev said, "Discussions are being held constructively," as quoted by TASS. "They started and continue today and will also continue tomorrow," Dmitriev added, underscoring the ongoing engagement between the parties. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
22 December,2025 08:27 AM IST | Kyiv | ANIThe Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and other senior embassy posts as it moves to reshape the US diplomatic posture abroad with personnel deemed fully supportive of President Donald Trump's 'America First' priorities. The chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were informed last week that their tenures would end in January, according to two State Department officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal personnel moves. All of them had taken up their posts in the Biden administration but had survived an initial purge in the early months of Trump's second term that targeted mainly political appointees. That changed on Wednesday when they began to receive notices from officials in Washington about their imminent departures. Ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president, although they typically remain at their posts for three to four years. Those affected by the shake-up are not losing their foreign service jobs but will be returning to Washington for other assignments should they wish to take them, the officials said. The State Department declined to comment on specific numbers or ambassadors affected, but defended the changes, calling them 'a standard process in any administration.' It noted that an ambassador is 'a personal representative of the president, and it is the president's right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda.' Africa is the continent most affected by the removals, with ambassadors from 13 countries being removed: Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia and Uganda. Second is Asia, with ambassadorial changes coming to six countries: Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam affected. Four countries in Europe (Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia) are affected; as are two each in the Middle East (Algeria and Egypt); South and Central Asia (Nepal and Sri Lanka); and the Western Hemisphere (Guatemala and Suriname). Politico was the first to report on the ambassadorial recalls, which have drawn concern from some lawmakers and the union representing American diplomats. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
22 December,2025 08:03 AM IST | Washington | APIsrael’s Cabinet on Sunday approved a proposal for 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, the far-right finance minister said. The settlements include two that were previously evacuated during a 2005 disengagement plan, according to Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, who has pushed a settlement expansion agenda in the West Bank. It brings the total number of new settlements over the past two years to 69, Smotrich wrote on X. The approval increases the number of settlements in the West Bank by nearly 50 per cent during the current government’s tenure, from 141 in 2022 to 210, after the current approval, according to Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog group. Settlements are widely considered illegal under international law. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
22 December,2025 07:59 AM IST | Tel Aviv | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
