Por Nimi Princewill, CNN

Un día después de que parte de un misil lanzado por Estados Unidos impactara en su aldea, cayendo a pocos metros de su único centro de salud, los habitantes de Jabo, en el noroeste de Nigeria, permanecen en estado de shock y confusión.

Suleiman Kagara, residente de esta tranquila y mayoritariamente musulmana comunidad agrícola en el distrito de Tambuwal, estado de Sokoto, dijo a CNN que escuchó una fuerte explosión y vio llamas cuando un proyectil sobrevoló la zona alrededor de las 10 p.m., hora local, del jueves.

Poco después, el artefacto cayó y explotó al impactar en el suelo, provocando que los habitantes huyeran aterrorizados.

“No pudimos dormir anoche”, relató Kagara. “Nunca habíamos visto algo así”.

Kagara no lo supo en ese momento, pero lo que presenciaba era parte de un ataque estadounidense al que el presidente Donald Trump luego se refirió como un “regalo de Navidad” para los terroristas.

Poco después del impacto en Jabo, Trump declaró el jueves que Estados Unidos había realizado un “ataque poderoso y letal” contra militantes de ISIS en la región, a quienes acusó de “atacar y matar brutalmente, principalmente, a cristianos inocentes, en niveles no vistos en muchos años, e incluso siglos”.

De acuerdo con el Comando África de Estados Unidos, la operación neutralizó a varios militantes de ISIS.

Sin embargo, la explicación de Trump dejó a Kagara y a sus vecinos desconcertados.

Aunque en algunas zonas de Sokoto hay problemas de bandidaje, secuestros y ataques de grupos armados, incluido Lakurawa —considerado organización terrorista en Nigeria por presuntos vínculos con el Estado Islámico—, los habitantes afirman que Jabo no es conocida por actividad terrorista y que los cristianos locales conviven en paz con la mayoría musulmana.

“En Jabo, consideramos a los cristianos como hermanos. No tenemos conflictos religiosos, así que no esperábamos esto”, dijo.

Bashar Isah Jabo, legislador que representa a Tambuwal en el parlamento estatal, describió la aldea a CNN como “una comunidad pacífica” que “no tiene antecedentes de ISIS, Lakurawa ni de otros grupos terroristas en la zona”.

Explicó que el proyectil impactó en un campo “a unos 500 metros” de un centro de salud primaria en Jabo y que, aunque no hubo víctimas, el incidente “causó miedo y pánico en la comunidad”.

El Ministerio de Información de Nigeria informó después que el Gobierno, en colaboración con Estados Unidos, había “realizado con éxito operaciones de ataque de precisión” contra escondites de ISIS en los bosques del distrito de Tangaza, en Sokoto.

Sin embargo, también señaló que “durante la operación, restos de municiones cayeron en Jabo” y en otra zona del estado de Kwara, en el centro-norte, aunque recalcó que no hubo víctimas civiles.

La operación en Nigeria se produce tras reiteradas afirmaciones de Trump sobre una amenaza significativa para los cristianos en el país, y el presidente ordenó al Pentágono el mes pasado prepararse para una posible acción militar.

El ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Nigeria, Yusuf Tuggar, dijo este viernes a CNN que había hablado con el secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, antes del ataque y que el presidente de Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, había dado el visto bueno.

No obstante, Tuggar también afirmó que esta operación no era un asunto religioso, sino que buscaba garantizar la seguridad de la población civil en la región.

Analistas señalan que la religión es solo uno de los múltiples factores detrás de los persistentes problemas de seguridad que enfrenta Nigeria desde hace años. Los conflictos también surgen de rivalidades comunales y étnicas, así como de tension

By Aleena Fayaz, CNN

(CNN) — Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell lambasted a performer’s decision to cancel an annual Christmas Eve jazz concert, following the addition of President Donald Trump’s name to the Washington, DC, arts venue.

In a letter, first obtained and published by the Associated Press on Friday, Grenell sharply criticizes jazz artist Chuck Redd’s actions and praises Trump for his leadership as the center’s chairman — a role the president’s handpicked board elected him to early in his second term after he ousted his predecessor.

“Your decision to withdraw at the last moment—explicitly in response to the Center’s recent renaming, which honors President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure—is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution,” Grenell, a longtime Trump confidant, wrote on letterhead bearing the new “Trump Kennedy Center” logo.

Redd told CNN on Wednesday that he canceled the holiday jazz concert, which he has hosted for nearly two decades, after seeing the board’s move to rename the building last week.

“I’ve been performing at the Kennedy Center since the beginning of my career and I was saddened to see this name change,” Redd said.

Grenell goes on to fault Redd for financial fallout relating to what he called a “political stunt” and said the center will seek $1 million in damages.

CNN has reached out to Redd and the Kennedy Center for comment.

The cancelation of the free “Jazz Jam” show followed a vote by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’s board of trustees to rename the cultural institution for both the Democratic former president and Trump last week.

In the hours after the vote, the center updated its website and the following day installed new signage to the facade of the building bearing Trump’s name.

The move quickly sparked outrage from Kennedy family, lawmakers and patrons of the historic center, including a lawsuit from one Democratic congresswoman challenging whether the board has the authority to rename the facility, which Congress designated in 1964 as a memorial to the 35th president.

Prior to the renaming, Trump’s overhaul of the center was already raising concerns about lost revenue as both artists and audiences flee for other venues. Artists including Issa Rae, Renée Fleming, Shonda Rhimes and Ben Folds resigned from their leadership roles or canceled events at the space. And Jeffrey Seller, producer of the hit musical “Hamilton,” canceled the show’s planned run ea

Por Elizabeth Pérez, CNN en Español

El tenis masculino fue una lucha de dos. Dos grandes protagonistas en el circuito de la ATP que escriben sus nombres en el rótulo de invencibles. Se trata del español Carlos Alcaraz y el italiano Jannik Sinner.

Ambos se repartieron por segundo año consecutivo los principales torneos del calendario, incluidos los títulos de Grand Slam de la temporada, consagrándose como los grandes dominadores del circuito masculino, peleando entre ambos por la cima de la ATP, al tiempo que aumentan la brecha que los separa aún más de sus rivales.

Nada más arrancó la temporada en enero, el italiano revalidó el título que había ganado en Australia un año antes. Sinner, que ocupaba el liderato del ranking de la ATP tras destronar a Novak Djokovic en junio de 2024, se mantuvo como número uno del mundo hasta septiembre de 2025.

¿La razón? Sinner no pudo jugar algunos de los torneos que había ganado el año anterior por molestias físicas —y por ende perdió puntos— y Alcaraz se encargó de recuperar terreno ganando en Roterdam, Montecarlo, Roma y revalidar su título de Roland Garros.

La racha ganadora del de Murcia lo llevó a levantar el título del Queen’s Club; sin embargo Sinner se impuso en Wimbledon a Alcaraz. Ya de este lado del Atlántico, en Cincinnati, fue Carlitos el ganador del torneo que serviría de preámbulo para el US Open que impidió que Sinner ganara y con ello el tenista del Palmar recuperó el puesto número uno. Lo mantuvo durante ocho semanas hasta perderlo momentáneamente con Sinner para recuperarlo y cerrar así el año.

Hagamos la comparación de cómo les fue a los dos mejores tenistas del mundo en el 2025. En total se enfrentaron en seis ocasiones, con cuatro victorias para Carlos Alcaraz y dos para Jannik Sinner.

Ambos tenistas ganaron dos Grand Slams cada uno. El español obtuvo el Roland Garros y el US Open, mientras que el italiano conquistó el Abierto de Australia y Wimbledon.
Finalmente, Carlitos cerró el año con ocho títulos entre todas las competencias, mientras que Sinner lo hizo con seis.

En la rama femenina, la tenista bielorrusa Aryna Sabalenka fue la líder indiscutible, culminando una temporada dominante con el título del US Open, lo que la consolidó en la cima del ranking WTA, siendo reconocida como la mejor jugadora del año.

Por su parte, la polaca Iga Swiatek y la estadounidense Coco Gauff mantuvieron el top 3, siendo las principales perseguidoras de Sabalenka a lo largo del año; Gauff evolucionó su juego para competir.

Entre las estrellas emergentes se encuentra Mirra Andreeva. La rusa ha sido una de las grandes revelaciones, destacando entre las jugadoras menores de 20 años en el circuito. Otra revelación ha sido Maya Joint.

La australiana también se consolidó entre las 100 mejores del mundo, con gran regularidad.

En cuanto a los Grand Slams, Swiatek ganó Wimbledon y Sabalenka dominó el US Open, mostrando la rivalidad entre ambas.

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By Hilary Whiteman, CNN

Brisbane, Australia (CNN) — Along a nine-mile stretch of river between two waterfalls in the Australian rainforest lives a tiny fish that’s been there for millions of years, hiding between rocks along the riverbank by day and emerging at night to feed.

This is the only place in the world you’ll find the planet’s sole tropical cod –– a remnant of times past that is believed to have split from its closest southern relatives about 25-30 million years ago.

For all that time, the tiny cod swam undetected and undescribed by modern science until 1993 when two researchers –– Mark Kennard and Brad Pusey –– stumbled upon the fish in the Bloomfield River, along the northern reaches of the Daintree Rainforest, which is recognized by UNESCO as the world’s oldest rainforest and is brimming with rich and unique biodiversity.

“It’s a beautiful little fish,” said Kennard, now deputy director of the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University, who still works with Pusey, a senior research fellow at the same university, more than 30 years on.

Back then, Kennard and Pusey named the fish the Bloomfield River Cod, with the scientific name Guyu wujalwujalensis, after the Aboriginal name for fish and the Wujal Wujal community, the land’s traditional owners. It’s also known as the tropical nightfish.

But this ancient species that grows to just 10 centimeters is now under threat from introduced predators and violent storms produced by man-made global warming.

Cyclone Jasper, one of Australia’s most destructive tropical cyclones, tore through the cod’s habitat between two waterfalls on the Bloomfield two years ago –– felling trees, flooding the river and washing more introduced predators into its sanctuary.

This October, Kennard and Pusey returned to the river to survey the damage and count the cod in the hope of having it formally listed as endangered under Australia’s biodiversity laws, which would offer it more protection.

“If we lost this, we’d lose a representative of a really complex and long period of evolution,” said Pusey. “It would be a tragedy… certainly a personal tragedy.”

Getting to the Bloomfield River takes at least four hours along an inland road from Cairns, where tourists board boats to visit the Great Barrier Reef.

The longer, wilder and more scenic route winds around the coast, on unsealed roads through “croc country” where Australia’s giant saltwater crocodiles dominate the briny waterways and smaller freshwater crocs occupy rivers and streams.

At this time of year, summer dials up the heat and humidity, steam rises from roads after sudden downpours, and the smell of sweat mixed with sunscreen and insect repellent lingers in the air.

Kennard and Pusey were on a research trip to survey Queensland’s Wet Tropics when they found the fish in the 1990s.

They initially had no idea what it was. But on a return trip a few years later they found enough information to confirm it was a new species.

“When you find new species here, they’re almost always so minor a difference, and most of the time it’s not until people do the genetics, and they go, ‘oh, that is a new species.’ But this was clearly new, and it is quite exciting to find that,” Pusey said.

The stretch of river that’s home to the Bloomfield Cod is inaccessible to most visitors – but not remote enough to guarantee the cod’s safety.

Their biggest predatory threat is the Tully Grunter, a larger native Australian fish up to 35 centimeters long, that scientists believe was introduced to the river by recreational fishers wanting a decent catch.

By Nimi Princewill, CNN

Abuja, Nigeria (CNN) — A day after part of a missile fired by the United States hit their village, landing just meters from its only medical facility, the people of Jabo in northwestern Nigeria are in a state of shock and confusion.

Suleiman Kagara, a resident of this quiet and predominantly Muslim farming community in Tambuwal district of Sokoto state, told CNN he heard a loud blast and saw flames as a projectile flew overhead at around 10 p.m. on Thursday.

Soon after, it came crashing down, exploding on impact with the ground and sending the villagers fleeing in fear.

“We couldn’t sleep last night,” Kagara said. “We’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Kagara did not realize it at the time, but what he was witnessing was part of a US strike that President Donald Trump would later refer to as a “Christmas present” for terrorists.

Not long after the impact in Jabo, Trump declared on Thursday that the US had carried out a “powerful and deadly strike” against ISIS militants in the region, who he accused of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries!”

According to US Africa Command, the operation neutralized multiple ISIS militants.

But Trump’s explanation has left Kagara and his fellow villagers scratching their heads.

While parts of Sokoto face challenges with banditry, kidnappings and attacks by armed groups including Lakurawa – which Nigeria classifies as a terrorist organization due to suspected affiliations with Islamic State – villagers say Jabo is not known for terrorist activity and that local Christians coexist peacefully with the Muslim majority.

“In Jabo, we see Christians as our brothers. We don’t have religious conflicts, so we weren’t expecting this,” he said.

Bashar Isah Jabo, a lawmaker representing Tambuwal in the state parliament, described the village to CNN as “a peaceful community” that has “no known history of ISIS, Lakurawa, or any other terrorist groups operating in the area.”

He said the projectile had struck a field “approximately 500 meters” from a Primary Health Center in Jabo and that, while there were no casualties, the incident had “caused fear and panic within the community.”

Nigeria’s Information Ministry later said that the government, in collaboration with the US, had “successfully conducted precision strike operations” targeting ISIS hideouts in the forests of Tangaza district in Sokoto.

However, it also noted that “during the course of the operation, debris from expended munitions fell in Jabo,” and another area in north-central Kwara state – though it stressed there had been no civilian casualties.

The operation in Nigeria follows repeated claims by Trump of a significant threat to Christians in the country, with the president ordering the Pentagon last month to prepare for possible military action.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told CNN Friday that he had spoken with US Secretary of