There is ample observational evidence that black holes exist in nature. However, there are major theoretical difficulties in understanding the fundamental phys

There is ample observational evidence that black holes exist in nature. However, there are major theoretical difficulties in understanding the fundamental physics of black holes. The articles you are referring to are about a result by Mersini-Houghton & Pfeiffer from September who performed a calculation trying to understand black hole formation during the collapse of a star at the end of its life. They found that Hawking radiation during the collapse actually prevents the collapse of the star and results in an explosion. This is not my area of expertise, so I cannot comment on how justified any of the assumptions made in the Mersini-Houghton & Pfeiffer paper are, or whether there is an error in the calculation. But as an astronomer, I can say that however black holes do form, they are the simplest explanation for a wide variety of observed phenomena including quasars, AGN, radio jets, and X-ray binaries like Cyg X-1.