California surfer murdered in apparent robbery at his home in Costa Rica: reports

A prominent surfer from California was murdered at his home in Costa Rica during an apparent break-in over the weekend, according to reports.

Kurt Van Dyke, a 66-year-old expatriate who owned a hotel in the Costa Rican town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, was found dead Saturday inside his apartment, the Tico Times reported.

A preliminary exam indicated that Van Dyke’s body showed signs of asphyxiation and multiple stab wounds, the outlet reported.

Van Dyke, a native of Santa Cruz, California, was in the apartment Saturday morning when two armed men stormed inside, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The men then held Van Dyke and his 31-year-old girlfriend, whom he shared the apartment with, in a room.

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The girlfriend survived the ordeal and told authorities that the men had bound her hands and feet with zip ties and assaulted her, according to the report. At some point during the incident, Van Dyke was killed, she said.

The girlfriend also said the men stole some of the couple’s valuables, including a 2013 Hyundai Elantra.

Security footage from the scene showed the two suspects fleeing the property in the Elantra and a second vehicle, the report said. 

No arrests have been made, and officials have yet to announce a motive.

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Van Dyke’s brother, Peter Van Dyke, remembered his brother as a kind soul in a text message to the Chronicle.

"My brother was a very benevolent, giving person who would help just about anybody," Peter Van Dyke said. "Kurt would never hurt anybody, and he was always there when you needed him. Everyone that he met knew this about him." 

Officials in Costa Rica said that Van Dyke’s death shocked the community.

"I am deeply saddened," Roger Sams, president of Costa Rica’s Southern Caribbean Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, told Costa Rican newspaper La Nación in Spanish. "We’ve had a long period of calm and tranquility.… This shocks and saddens us because the Caribbean has been so peaceful."   

Van Dyke had developed a notable reputation among Santa Cruz’s surfing community before permanently settling in Costa Rica, where his skill surfing big waves earned him the moniker of "King" from the local surfing community, the Chronicle reported.

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Obama claims Democrats face greater governing challenges than Republicans in current political climate

Former President Barack Obama said during a podcast on Saturday that Democrats have the "harder job" governing, and that Republicans have it easier because they just tear "stuff down."

"Look, I think we have to acknowledge that we’ve got the harder job, right?" Obama said. "So we believe in government as a tool for good — for as a potential force to more jobs and as a way to make sure that the planet doesn’t roast. To make sure that as we move forward and the economy grows, that everybody, and not just some, are benefiting, and the kids are getting a good education. And what that means is that we have to think about the consequences of our actions. We have to try to figure out how do we get working majorities to actually pass laws and to implement those laws and to make things happen?"

Obama spoke to podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen and was responding to a question about whether Democratic leadership understood how to fight back against the GOP.

He added, "Tearing stuff down doesn't require all that."

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The former president said Republicans were unraveling a set of rules and norms that were already in place, and that it's easy to do.

"I say that because we should accept the responsibility and the challenge that our job is going to be a little bit harder, because in order for us to get stuff done, like, let's say the Affordable Care Act, well we've got to cobble together a majority, and we've got to persuade, and we've got to convince. And so, I do think that there's been some unwillingness on the part of Democrats in the past to break down some of the institutional barriers for us getting stuff done, just because, well, it's always been done that way," Obama said.

Obama explained that the filibuster in the Senate frustrated him as president, and said Democrats had been trying to preserve something that in some ways blocks the government from being effective.

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"The Senate is already structurally skewed and anti-majoritarian, right? Like the – it's hard for majorities to get stuff done, whether it's trying to pass civil rights legislation in the '60s or trying to get gun control legislation or what have you, because even though majority people support it, Delaware and Wyoming have the same number of senators as California, right? So that would require a constitutional amendment. You then compound that with a filibuster, and the truth is that Democrats, for some time, have been traditionalists in wanting to preserve that when it blocks us from making government effective, which in turn makes people feel like government is corrupt and not caring about them," Obama said.

He said it gave people like President Donald Trump "an opening."

Trump has called for ending the filibuster in the Senate, which has also gained some traction with other Republicans.

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Obama said he didn’t think Democrats should "duplicate" the behavior of Republicans but argued they shouldn’t cling to traditions either.

"I don't want us to simply duplicate the behavior of the other side. I don't want us to have a slash-and-burn strategy where we don't care about rule of law. We don't care about some of the guardrails around our democracy. We start lying and having no regard for the truth the way the other side seems to be comfortable with right now, because if that's how we fight, then we lose what we're fighting for. But that doesn't mean we have to get punked or be saps. And I do, or to cling to traditions just for the sake of tradition," he said.

Obama was also asked directly if aliens were real.

"They're real, but I haven't seen them," Obama said.

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'England have no chance at T20 World Cup if they do not improve'

England got back to winning ways against Scotland but their T20 World Cup hopes look slim unless there are significant improvements, writes Matthew Henry.

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Iran regime accused of killing 19 Christians in anti-regime protests as persecution continues: watchdog

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s atrocities against demonstrators opposed to the regime has reportedly resulted in security forces killing at least 19 Iranian Christians, according to Article 18, an organization that promotes religious freedom in Iran.

Article 18 reported on Feb. 9 that "The total number of Christians confirmed to have been killed during the protests is at least 19, including members of Iran’s recognized (Armenians and Assyrians) and unrecognized (converts) communities."

According to the Article 18 statement, the Islamic Republic’s "brutal response to last month’s mass demonstrations" resulted in the security forces murdering Iranian Christians Nader Mohammadi, 35, and Zahra Arjomandi, 51, who were both shot dead on Jan. 8 in separate protests 1,000 miles apart.

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Mohammadi was the father of three young children, and was killed in Babol in northern Iran. Arjomandi, who was a mother of two children, died in her son’s arms on the Persian Gulf island of Qeshm, in southern Iran, noted Article 18.

The Iranian Christian website Mohabat News stated that regime security forces refused to release Arjomandi's body for six days. Mohabat reported that her body was only released for burial under "strict security measures", which included a media blackout and prohibiting a memorial service.

Mansour Borji, the executive director for Article 18, told Fox News Digital that, "Today, Christians, like millions of other Iranians, seek the freedom and justice that they have been denied for nearly five decades, and they know well that this comes at a price. Every year many Christians are arrested and imprisoned under torturous conditions for practicing their right to religious freedom, where a simple act like praying together in house-churches seems like an act of civil disobedience."

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He continued, "Our organization considers the Islamic Republic’s massacre of all peaceful protesters a crime against humanity that should not go unpunished. There must be an end to the impunity that, for far too long, has enabled this regime to commit crimes like at home and abroad. Branding peaceful protesters as ‘terrorists,’ and Christians that are persecuted every year as ‘Zionist mercenaries,’ is nothing but scapegoating."

He warned that "The Islamic Republic's regime has, since its inception, demonstrated all traits of a totalitarian state. Most Iranians have now come to realize that their fundamental rights have been taken away from them, including the freedom to choose one’s own religion or belief, political self-determination and even their lifestyle choices. Christians were some of the earliest to experience this, when an Anglican priest and convert to Christianity, Rev. Arastoo Sayyah, was killed in his church office less than 200 hours after the 1979 revolution."

A comprehensive 2025 report titled, "The Tip of the Iceberg" about the persecution of Iranian Christians was released by Article 18 in collaboration with Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Middle East Concern.

According to the "The Tip of the Iceberg" report, Mohammad Nasirpour, the deputy prosecutor of Tehran and head of the 33rd District Prosecutor’s office, stated in his indictment against four Iranian Christians on June 2022: "Armenian and Assyrian Christians in the Protestant denomination, with their evangelical nature and mission to Christianize Iran, are perceived as a security threat to the Islamic Revolution, aimed at undermining the Islamic foundation of the Islamic Republic. It could be said that Persian-speaking evangelical movements are supported by fundamentalist evangelical Christians and Zionists." 

According to a Feb. 10 report on the website of Christianity Today, Iranian Christians want President Trump to intervene to stop the Ayatollah’s regime from continuing with its massacre of Iranians.

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"That’s probably one of the most frustrating aspects of the whole situation right now," said Shahrokh Afshar, founder of Fellowship of Iranian Christians. "Everyone was hoping he would do something," Afshar told the outlet after the Iranian authorities killed thousands of protesters in January, according to some estimates.

Fox News Digital has reported over the decades on the Islamic Republic’s high-intensity persecution of Iranian Christians in the wake of the growing popularity of Christianity in the Muslim-majority country. Iran’s regime targets diverse groups of Christians, including Evangelicals and Catholics. In 2017, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arrested two Christians – a mother and her son – as part of a brutal crackdown on Catholicism in the country’s West Azerbaijan Province.

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The family’s bibles and literature on Christian theology were also seized during the raid.

The United States State Department has designated Iran as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC)" because the Islamic regime has "engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom" with respect to violations of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

The Iranian regime -controlled statistical center of Iran claims there are 117,700 Christians of recognized denominations as of the 2016 census, according to the most recent U.S. State Department report on the plight of Iranian Christians. 

However, the State Department noted that, "The Christian advocacy NGO Article 18 estimates there are 500,000 to 800,000 Christians in the country, while the Christian advocacy NGO Open Doors International estimates the number is 1.24 million. Christian NGOs report many Christians are converts from Islam or other recognized faiths." The population of Iran is roughly 92 million.

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ICE director stands his ground after Swalwell blowup, says Democrats are ‘misleading their constituents’

EXCLUSIVE: Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told Fox News Digital he stands by his response to Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, after the California gubernatorial candidate demanded he resign and find work as an "otherwise employable" law enforcement officer.

Swalwell, who made the comments during a hearing this week, was the latest in a slew of Democrats calling on Lyons to resign after an immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis led to the agent-involved shooting deaths of two agitators.

"Leading this agency is a choice, and it’s one I make to stand side-by-side with the brave men and women who enforce this nation’s immigration laws," Lyons said.

"I’m proud of the work they do every day to keep our country, our communities, and our families safe — and like them, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States."

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Lyons said that if lawmakers want to "mischaracterize" ICE’s mission and use their recollection as grounds for resignation demands, they are "misleading their constituents and doing our nation a disservice."

"I will not resign, because I believe in the rule of law and will continue to uphold my oath," he told Fox News Digital.

Beyond the outspoken Alameda congressman, several other Democrats have demanded Lyons’ ouster — and often followed up with the same request to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

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Rep. Daniel Goldman of Manhattan, Swalwell’s co-sponsor on the ICE OUT Act, told Lyons in that same hearing that if he did not want his agency compared to "a fascist regime or secret police, then stop acting like one."

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., whose district has been ground zero for ICE’s battle against agitators and illegal immigrants in Minneapolis, called for Lyons to be held accountable for the "military style occupation," while Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., of similarly anti-ICE Seattle led 156 other lawmakers in a formal demand for leadership changes at ICE.

Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont have also made calls for ICE and DHS leadership accountability.

The most pointed remarks directed at Lyons during his hearing came from Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey, who is also facing charges for allegedly accosting federal immigration agents outside a Newark compound being used to hold detainees.

McIver asked Lyons whether he believes he is going to hell.

"I'm not going to entertain that question," Lyons replied before Chairman Andrew Garbarino of New York interjected to admonish McIver’s line of questioning as potentially breaching decorum.

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World's fastest humanoid robot runs 22 MPH

A full-size humanoid robot just ran faster than most people will ever sprint. 

Chinese robotics firm MirrorMe Technology has unveiled Bolt, a humanoid robot that reached a top speed of 22 miles per hour during real-world testing. This was not CGI or a computer simulation. The footage, shared by the company on X, shows a real humanoid robot running at full speed inside a controlled testing facility.

That milestone makes Bolt the fastest running humanoid robot of its size ever demonstrated outside computer simulations. For robotics, this is a line-crossing moment.

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WARM-SKINNED AI ROBOT WITH CAMERA EYES IS SERIOUSLY CREEPY

In the promotional video, the run is shown using a split-screen view. On one side of the screen, Wang Hongtao, the founder of MirrorMe Technology, runs on a treadmill. On the other side, Bolt runs under the same conditions. The comparison makes the difference clear. As the pace increases, Wang struggles to keep up and eventually gives up, while Bolt continues running smoothly, maintaining balance as its stride rate increases.

Bolt takes shorter strides than a human runner but makes up for it with a much faster stride rhythm. That faster rhythm helps the robot stay stable as it accelerates. Engineers say this performance reflects major progress in humanoid locomotion control, dynamic balance and high-performance drive systems. Speed is impressive. Speed with control is the real achievement.

Bolt stands about 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs roughly 165 pounds, putting it close to the size and mass of an average adult human. MirrorMe says that similarity is intentional. The company describes this as the ideal humanoid form. 

Rather than oversized limbs or exaggerated mechanics, Bolt relies on newly designed joints paired with a fully optimized power system. The goal is to replicate natural human motion while staying stable at extreme speeds. That combination is what sets Bolt apart.

HUMANOID ROBOTS ARE GETTING SMALLER, SAFER AND CLOSER

Bolt did not appear overnight. MirrorMe has focused on robotic speed as a long-term priority since 2016. Last year, its Black Panther II robot stunned viewers by sprinting 328 feet in 13.17 seconds during a live television broadcast in China. Reports suggested the performance exceeded comparable tests involving Boston Dynamics machines. 

In 2025, the company also set a record with a four-legged robot that surpassed 22 mph, reinforcing its focus on acceleration, agility and sustained high-speed motion. China's interest in robotic athletics continues to grow. Beijing even hosted the first World Humanoid Robot Games, where humanoid robots competed in sprint races on a track.

Running at 22 mph grabs attention, but MirrorMe says speed alone is not the point. The engineers behind Bolt care more about what happens at that speed. Balance, reaction time and control matter more than a headline number. Those skills are what let a humanoid robot move like a trained runner instead of a machine on the verge of tipping over.

That is where the athlete angle comes in. MirrorMe envisions Bolt as a training partner that can run alongside elite athletes, hold a steady pace and push limits without getting tired. By matching and slightly exceeding human performance, the robot could help runners fine-tune form, pacing and endurance while collecting precise motion data. In that context, the sprint is not a stunt. It shows how humanoid robots could move beyond demos and into real training and performance settings.

Humanoid robots that can run at highway speeds are no longer something you only see in demos or concept videos. As these machines get faster and more stable, they start to fit into real-world roles. That includes athletic training, emergency response and physically demanding jobs where speed and endurance make a real difference. At the same time, faster robots bring real concerns. Safety, oversight and clear rules matter even more when machines can move this quickly around people. When robots run this fast, the limits need to be clear.

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Bolt running at 22 mph is eye-catching, but the speed is not the main takeaway. What matters is what it shows. Robots are starting to move more like people. They can run, adjust and stay upright at speeds that used to knock machines over. That opens the door to real uses, but it also raises real questions. How fast is too fast around people? Who sets the rules? And who is responsible when something goes wrong? The technology is moving quickly. The conversation around it needs to move just as fast.

If humanoid robots can soon outrun and outtrain humans, where should limits be set on how and where they are allowed to operate? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Trump honors special forces behind Maduro capture at Fort Bragg as global tensions escalate

President Donald Trump is visiting Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Friday to honor U.S. special forces and their families for their roles in the high-profile military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in January.

Trump will be joined by first lady Melania Trump, who also is slated to spend time with military families during the base visit — one of the largest home stations for U.S. Army special operations forces. 

Trump’s social media posts ahead of the visit highlighted what he called "extraordinary" relations between the United States and Venezuela’s interim leadership, including cooperation on oil revenue and transition planning. 

After the dramatic capture of Maduro, his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, took over as Venezuela’s leader. 

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Rodríguez has publicly maintained that both Maduro and Cilia Flores are "innocent," rejecting assertions of wrongdoing that led to their capture. Despite her alignment with Maduro, the U.S. has insisted it could assert influence over her leadership.

 In late January, the U.S. and the interim Rodríguez government signed a massive energy pact. The U.S. has already begun marketing Venezuelan crude oil, with proceeds flowing into U.S.-controlled accounts to be disbursed at the discretion of the U.S. government.

Nearly 200 U.S. troops were involved in the Maduro operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve. Seven were injured. 

Venezuela’s defense ministry said 83 people were killed in the mission on its own side, including Venezuelan security forces and 32 Cuban security personnel.

Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is also home to units that could be deployed if diplomatic efforts in the Middle East falter, including Trump’s push for Iran to reach an agreement or face what he has warned could be a "very traumatic" outcome. The visit comes just as the U.S. deployed a second aircraft carrier, the USS Ford, to the region while talks continue.

The Pentagon has not revealed which military units were involved in the operation.

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Trump has repeatedly hailed the Maduro capture as a "spectacular" operation that showed the U.S.’s capability to assert dominance in its own backyard. He called the special operators involved a "group of unbelievable talented patriotic people that love our country. You couldn’t hold them back."

The president has also hinted at a secret weapon he calls the "discombobulator" used in the operation to disable Venezuelan communications and equipment and disorient personnel.

"I’m not allowed to talk about it," Trump said in an interview  with NBC News. "But let me just tell you, you know what it does? None of their equipment works, that’s what it does.

"Everything was discombobulated."

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